Third  Edition- Completely  Revised 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

STEWART  S.  HOWE 

JOURNALISM  CLASS  OF  1928 


STEWART  S.  HOWE  FOUNDATION 


C 
C81uEe 
1924 


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CONCERNING   CORNELL 


THIRD    EDITION 

COMPLETELY   REVISED 

1924 


Cornell  Co-operative  Society 
Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
Trade  Agents 


CONCERNING  CORNELL 


BY 


O.  D.  VON  ENGELN,  '08 

Professor  of  Physical  Geography 
in  Cornell  University 


THIRD    EDITION 


CORNELL   CO-OPERATIVE   SOCIETY 

TRADE  AGENTS 

ITHACA,    NEW   YORK 

1924 


Copyright,  1917   by 
O.  D.  von  Engeln 


THIRD  EDITION  -  COMPLETELY  REVISED 
1  924 


The  Morrill  Press 
Fulton,  N.  Y 


c 

CSU£e 


CONTENTS 


Page 

PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION xv 

CORNELL— A  Poem.     By  President  A.  W.  Smith    .    .  2 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  CAMPUS 3 


Happy  environment  of  Cornell — Original  appearance 
of  the  campus — Requirements  of  an  ideal  site  for  an 
American  university — Charm  of  the  Cornell  quad- 
rangle— Tour  of  the  campus  with  incidental  remarks 
on: — Getting  signed  up — War  activities — History 
of  the  totem  pole — Under  the  elms — Standing  room 
only  at  a  church — The  Cornell  chime — Some  details 
of  university  management — Study  and  play  with  the 
architects — History  of  the  McGraw-Fiske  Mansion 
— Two  inventions — Education  of  the  engineer — 
Winter  sports  on  Beebe  Lake — The  allround  fitness 
of  Cornell — Climate  of  the  storm  country — A  meal 
at  the  cafeteria — Teaching  domestic  economy — The 
realm  of  poultry  husbandry — Campus  distances — 
Aviation  officers'  ground  school — Extent  and  diver- 
sity of  Cornell — At  the  hour — In  college  precincts. 

CHAPTER  II 

THE  FOUNDER— EZRA  CORNELL 105 

Birth  and  parentage — Family  fortunes — Youthful 
enterprise — Departure  from  home — Arrival  in  Ithaca 
— Rise  from  mechanic  to  mill-manager  and  business 
agent — Marriage — First  home — The  tunnel  project 
— Building  a  mill — Out  of  employment — Purchase 
of  patent  rights  in  an  improved  plow — Acquaintance 
with  Mr.  F.  O.  J.  Smith — Walking  trips  to  Georgia 
and  Maine — The  Cornell  apparatus  for  laying  the 
first  telegraph  line — Ezra  Cornell's  entrance  into  the 
telegraph  enterprise — Rapidly  acquired  comprehen- 
sion of  the  defects  and  difficulties  of  the  project — 
Wrecking  of  the  pipe-laying  machine — Ezra  Cornell's 
learning — Completion  of  the  first  telegraph  line  and 


vi  Concerning  Cornell 

the  first  messages — Ezra  Cornell  as  telegraph  con-  Page 
traetor  and  promoter — Organization  of  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company — A  fortune  realized — 
Early  appreciation  of  public  needs — Promotion  of 
agriculture — Political  career — The  Ithaca  Cornell 
library — Early  appreciation  of  the  need  for  practical 
with  liberal  education — Trustee  of  the  New  York 
State  Agricultural  College  at  Ovid — Founding  of 
The  Cornell  University  and  difficulties  of  its  early 
years — Situation  of  Ithaca  with  respect  to  transpor- 
tation routes — Railway  financing — Crisis  of  1873 
and  illness  of  the  Founder — Death — Personality  of 
Ezra  Cornell — Ezra  Cornell  on  the  campus — Rela- 
tions with  students — The  Villa  Cornell — True  and 
firm — Remarkable  equanimity. 


CHAPTER  III 

OF  HISTORICAL  INTEREST 154 

Sources — The  unlike  natures  of  the  founders — Edu- 
cation of  Andrew  D.  White — Impress  of  President 
White's  training  on  Cornell  University — Mr.  White 
in  Europe  and  as  professor  at  the  University  of 
Michigan — First  meeting  of  Andrew  D.  White  and 
Ezra  Cornell — The  Ithaca  library — Geography  of 
Mr.  Cornell's  and  Mr.  White's  lives — The  Land 
Grant  Act  of  1862 — Extent  of  land  rights  received 
by  New  York  State — The  People's  College  and  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  College — Incorpora- 
tion of  Cornell  University — Management  of  the 
Land  Grant  fund — Attacks  and  disparagement — 
The  new  education  at  Cornell  and  the  resulting 
criticisms — The  nonsectarian  pulpit — The  opening 
day — The  campus  in  early  years — Rapid  growth  in 
plant — The  Chi  Psi  fire  and  the  McGraw-Fiske  will 
contest — Goldwin  Smith — Louis  Agassiz — Special 
lectures  in  later  years — The  College  of  Agriculture — 
The  Department  of  Mechanic  Arts — College  of  Arts 
and  Sciences — Professor  T.  F.  Crane — Other  colleges 
— Dr.  Law  and  the  New  York  State  Veterinary  Col- 
lege— Cornell  University  Medical  College — Number 
of  faculty  and  students — President  Adams's  adminis- 


Contents  vii 

tration — Faculty  representation  in  the  governing  of  Page 
the  university — Administration  of  President  Schur- 
man — Typhoid  fever  epidemic — The  Infirmary — 
Military  instruction — Great  material  expansion — 
Establishment  and  growth  of  The  New  York  State 
College  of  Agriculture  at  Cornell  University — Presi- 
dent Livingston  Farrand — Need  of  greater  free 
endowment. 

CHAPTER  IV 

STUDENT  LIFE 226 

Cosmopolitan  nature  of  the  student  body — Cornell 
an  entity — Finding  a  room — Places  to  eat — Fresh- 
man rules — President's  address — Attending  classes 
— Incidents  of  instruction — Evenings — At  the  game 
— The  Cornell  yell — Cornell  spirit — Preliminary  ex- 
aminations— Marking  of  papers — Block  week — 
Junior  week — The  Short  Horns — Underclass  mud 
rush — The  Pageant,  May,  1917 — Spring  day — The 
Cayuga  regatta — Senior  singing. 

CHAPTER  V 
STUDENT  ACTIVITIES  AND  OBSERVANCES  ....  256 
Scope  of  the  title — Opportunities  for  self-supporting 
students  at  Cornell — The  status  of  organized  stu- 
dent activities  at  Cornell — Reason  for  the  multi- 
plicity of  such  organizations — Undergraduate  view- 
point of  the  functions  of  student  activities — Intel- 
lectual, college,  sectional  and  social  clubs — Feminine 
clubs  and  societies — Competitions  for  student  publi- 
cations— The  Cornell  Daily  Sun — Other  Cornell 
publications — Debate — Dramatic  organizations — 
Musical  clubs — Athletics — Undergraduate  managers 
— Class  honorary  societies — Student  politics —  Com- 
mittee positions — The  order  of  shingle  hunters — 
Student  observances — Banquets  and  athletic  rallies 
— Dances — Spring  day — Freshman  cap  burning. 

CHAPTER  VI 

FRATERNITIES  AT  CORNELL 287 

Number  and  membership  figures  of  fraternities  at 
Cornell — Increase  in   number  of  fraternities — Ad- 


viii  Concerning  Cornell 

vantages  of  fraternity  membership — Some  adverse  Page 

influences  on  scholarship — Expense  of  fraternity 
membership — Eligibility — Rushing  rules — Effect  of 
freshman  residence  in  university  dormitories  on 
fraternities — Fraternity  influence — Financing  the 
purchase  of  a  fraternity  house — The  fraternity  and 
the  university — Choice  of  a  fraternity — Inside  the 
chapter  house. 

CHAPTER  VII 

ATHLETICS  AT  CORNELL 305 

Cornell  literally  triumphant — Tribute  to  Cornell 
athletics  in  the  Boston  Transcript — Another  point 
of  view — Innuendos — Record  of  the  Cornell  crews — 
Charles  E.  Courtney  as  an  oarsman — Cornell  vic- 
tories with  Courtney  as  coach — Courtney's  disci- 
pline— Winning  the  Inter-collegiate  Track  Trophy 
— Cross-country  record — Moakley  and  the  Cornell 
runners — The  rise  of  the  Cornell  football  team — 
Champions  in  basket  ball — Premier  title  in  base- 
ball— A  Cornell  coach  of  wrestling  and  a  champion- 
ship team  six  times  in  eight  years — Insistence  on 
satisfactory  scholarship  by  faculty  and  coaches — 
Great  number  of  men  participating  in  athletics  at 
Cornell — Making  a  team — Criticisms  of  college 
athletics — Gala  athletic  days  at  Cornell. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

INSTRUCTION 336 

The  point  of  view — Purpose  of  Cornell  University — 
Relation  of  the  professional  colleges  to  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences — Is  a  college  course  worth  while — 
Requirements  for  admission  and  graduation  at  Cor- 
nell— Nature  of  instruction — Need  of  a  larger  general 
endowment — Prospect  of  securing  such  moneys — 
Laboratory  practice — Credit  hours — Overwork  and 
underwork — Scholarship — The  Graduate  School — 
Summer  Session — Extra  curriculum  instruction — 
Advantages  of  residence  in  a  university  community 
— Curious  requests  received  by  the  university — 
Vocational  opportunities  for  college  graduates — 
Functions  of  University  training. 


Contents  ix 

CHAPTER   IX  Page 

GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE  ITHACA-CORNELL 

REGION      379 

The  study  of  geography  as  experienced  and  ap- 
praised by  the  founders  of  Cornell  University — 
Physiographic  history  of  the  Ithaca-Cornell  region 
— Primeval  aspect  of  the  Cornell  country — Primi- 
tive resources  and  industries — Climate — Indian  oc- 
cupation of  the  region — Ithaca  city  park — First 
white  settlers — Early  routes  of  communication — 
Early  commerce — Canals  and  railroads — Agricul- 
tural development — So-called  abandoned  farms — 
Crops — Early  industries — Modern  enterprises — 
Advantages  of  the  region  as  a  university  site — 
Ithaca  as  a  residential  center" — Cayuga  Heights 
Village — Future  prospects  of  the  region — "Ithaca 
Invites  You." 

CHAPTER  X 

OVER  HILL  AND  INTO  HOLLOW 439 

Scenic  charm  of  the  Finger  Lakes  region — Six  Mile 
Creek  city  park — The  ride  around  the  loop — Gold- 
win  Smith  walk  and  the  Forest  Home  path — Story 
of  the  white  maiden  captive — The  swimming  pool — 
Ezra  Cornell's  tunnel — Lake  Cayuga,  a  warning — 
Taughannock  Gorge  and  Falls — Buttermilk,  Enfield 
and  Watkins  glens — Minor  gorges  and  trout  fishing 
— Climbs  to  hill-top  vantage  points — Easy  walks 
with  fine  views — Motor  trips. 

INDEX 451 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATES 

Face  Page 

In  College  Precincts — Frontispiece 

The  Commanding  Site  of  Cornell.     Photo.  ©  Troy   .    .       6 
A  Short  Cut  to  Learning  on  the  Cornell  Campus    ...       7 

Straight  Memorial  Union 10 

Baker  Laboratory  of  Chemistry 11 

Barnes  Hall 20 

The  Memorial  Apse  in  Sage  Chapel.     Photo.  Morgan        20 

The  Library  Tower  at  Night.     Photo.  S.  S.  S 21 

Sage  College  and  Barnes  Hall  Viewed  from  the  Library 

Tower 28 

Morrill  Hall 29 

McGraw  Hall  and  White  Hall 32 

Main  Drafting  Room,  College  of  Architecture     ....     33 

Franklin  Hall 38 

Ithaca  and  the  Panorama  of  the  Hills 39 

Baker  Tower  and  the  Residential  Halls.     Photo.  ©  Troy    42 

Front  of  Sibley  College  and  White  Hall 43 

Sibley  Dome 48 

Rand  Hall 49 

Students  at  Work  in  the  Sibley  Machine  Shop    ....     49 

The  Front  of  Risley  Hall 50 

A  Bright  Winter  Day 51 

A  Snow-Banked  Path  on  the  Quadrangle 62 

Lincoln  Hall 63 

The  Museum  of  Classical  Archaeology .     63 

The  Portals  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall 64 

The  Library,  Boardman  Hall  and  Stimson  Hall.     Photo. 

©Troy 65 

Class  of  1872  Elms 80 

Rockefeller  Hall 80 

Roberts  Hall  and  the  Home  Economics  Building    ...     81 
The  Nook,  Ezra  Cornell's  First  Home  in  Ithaca.    .    .    .112 

The  Lower  End  of  the  Tunnel 112 

The  First  Telegraph  Instrument 113 

Beebe  Dam  and  Beebe  Lake 113 

Ezra  Cornell  in  1857 128 

Ezra  Cornell  in  1874 129 

Entrance  to  the  Villa  Cornell      144 


Illustrations  xi 

Fact;  Page 

Ithaca  Falls 145 

Andrew  D.  White      160 

Henry  W.  Sage 161 

The  First  Faculty      176 

Sage  Chapel 177 

McGraw  Hall 192 

In  Baker  Court.     Photo.  Troy       192 

Goldwin  Smith 193 

Some  Early  Admission  Cards      198 

The  University  Faculty  in  1916.     Photo.    Troy      ...  199 

President  Livingston  Farrand 202 

Presidents   White  and   Schurman   in   Graduation   Day 

Procession 203 

A  Company  of  the  Cornell  R.  O.  T.  C 224 

Statue  of  the  Founder 225 

At  the  Hour 230 

The  "Six  Frosh" 231 

At  a  Football  Game,  Schoellkopf  Field.     Photo  ©  Troy  234 

Campus,  Early  Spring,  1869 235 

Campus  in  1877 235 

Sites,  Agriculture  College  and  Playground,  1904     .    .    .  235 

Decorated  for  the  Parade 240 

Freshman  Banquet  Rush 241 

A  Group  from  the  Pageant.     Photo.  Morgan      ....  241 

The  Spring  Day  "Peerade" 246 

Spring  Day  on  the  Quadrangle 247 

Senior  Singing 250 

Receiving  Diplomas      251 

A  Fraternity  Lodge 304 

Typical  Dining-Room  in  a  Fraternity  Lodge 304 

Northwest  Corner  of  Quadrangle  At  Night 305 

N.  Y.  S.  Drill  Hall  at  Night 305 

Courtney  and  the  Coxswains 320 

The  Swimming  Pool  in  Fall  Creek.     Photo.  ©  Troy  .    .  320 
Finish,  Cornell-Pennsylvania  Cross-Country  Meet.    .    .  321 

Charles  E.  Courtney 336 

Cayuga  Regatta,  May  27,  1916.     Photo.  ©  Troy    .    .    .337 

At  the  End  of  Goldwin  Smith  Walk      352 

The  Path  to  Forest  Home  Village.     Photo.  Morgan  .    .  353 

An  Old  Colonial  Home  in  Ithaca 432 

An  Old  Colonial  Home  in  Ithaca 432 


xii  Concerning  Cornell 

Face  Page 

The  Clinton  House 433 

The  New  Ithaca  High  School 433 

Taughannock  Falls.     Photo.  Daugherty 448 

In  Enfield  Glen 449 


IN  THE  TEXT 

Library  Tower  from  Sage  Chapel  Walk Title  Page 

Cornell  from  West  Hill 1 

Map  of  the  Campus      9 

The  White  Gateway 10 

The  Cascadilla  Building 11 

The  Giant's  Staircase,  Winter 12 

Front  of  the  Old  Armory 15 

The  Totem  Pole 17 

Weather  Bureau  Kiosk 18 

Cascadilla  Bridge  with  the  University  Club  in  Distance    19 

Interior,  Sage  Chapel 22 

Ringing  the  Chime 25 

Entrance,  Baker  Tower 41 

In  Baker  Court      42 

The  Suspension  Bridge  over  Fall  Creek 46 

The  Castle-like  Proportions  of  Risley  Hall 47 

Triphammer  Falls  and  the  Hydraulic  Laboratory  ...     49 

The  Waiting  Line  at  the  Toboggan  Slide 51 

A  Toboggan  Spill 52 

The  Exedra 61 

From  the  Entrance  Porch  of  Boardman  Hall 64 

Bailey  Hall 69 

Home  Economics  Building 72 

The  Loggia,  Roberts  Hall 76 

Fernow  Hall 87 

Schoellkopf  Memorial  Field  and  Training  House    ...     95 

The  Drill  Hall 97 

Veterinary  College,  Hospital  Buildings 99 

James  Law  Hall 101 

Site  of  the  Tunnel 114 

Description  of  the  Wrecking  of  the  Pipe-Laying  Machine  123 

Near  Sage  College 181 

South  Side  of  Sage  Chapel 183 

Goldwin  Smith  Walk 197 

Goldwin  Smith  Hall      205 


Illustrations  xiii 

Page 

Columns  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall  Entrance 207 

President  White  Statue 212 

A  Corner  of  the  New  Residential  Halls  for  Men.    .    .    .  228 

Entrance,  Prudence  Risley  Hall 229 

Forest  Home  Path  in  Winter 245 

"When  the  Sun  *  *   *  *" 254 

Student  Head 257 

Student  Head 273 

Student  Head 276 

Student  Head 281 

Student  Head 284 

Student  Head 286 

Entrance  to  a  Fraternity  Lodge 287 

Entrance,  Rand  Hall,  Night 338 

Upper  Cascadilla  Gorge,  Winter 347 

A  Snowy  Day 356 

A  Cornell  "R.  O.  T.  C."  Group      364 

Planting  the  Class  Ivy,  Commencement  WTeek    ....  376 

Block  Diagram  of  the  Ithaca-Cornell  Region 389 

An  Old  Stone  House 403 

In  DeWitt  Park 407 

The  House  of  Mystery 409 

City  Hall,  Ithaca 422 

An  Historic  House,  Ithaca 425 

An  Early  Colonial  Home,  Ithaca 432 

A  Movie  Theatre  in  Ithaca 435 

Map  of  Roads  and   Points  of  Scenic  Interest  Around 

Ithaca      440 

Inspiration  Point 441 

In  Upper  Fall  Creek  Gorge 443 

Cayuga  Lake  from  Renwick  Pier 445 

MAPS 

Map  of  the  Campus 9 

Block  Diagram  Map  of  Region 389 

Map  of  Roads  Around  Ithaca 440 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

(second  edition) 

THE  author  desires  to  express  his  deep  sense  of 
obligation  to  the  many  different  persons  who 
helped  him  in  the  original  production  of  this  vol- 
ume and  with  its  revision  for  this,  second,  edition. 
To  mention  all  by  name  would  require  more  space 
than  this  page  affords  and  to  omit  anyone  would 
be  ungracious,  since  each  of  their  contributions 
was  essential  to  the  making  of  the  book.  But  it 
is  only  proper  that  the  work  of  the  Faculty  Com- 
mittee intrusted  with  the  critical  reading  of  the 
original  manuscript  be  specifically  acknowledged. 
To  the  promptness  of  these  gentlemen  at  that  time 
and  their  kindly  attitude  the  writer  owes  much. 

It  is  appropriate,  also,  that  the  aid  of  the  many 
readers  of  the  first  edition  be  gratefully  acknowl- 
edged. Their  collective  approval  and  purchases 
have  made  possible,  so  soon  after  the  first  issue, 
this  second  and  revised  edition. 

The  record  of  the  first  fifty  years  of  Cornell  still 
constitutes  the  bulk  of  the  volume.  But  in  the 
revision  it  has  been  endeavored  also  to  incorpo- 
rate the,  already  noteworthy,  accomplishment  of 
the  second  new  era  of  Cornell;  particularly  as 
such  rejuvenescence  is  in  accord  with  the  predic- 
tion of  the  Preface  to  the  First  Edition. 

Note  to  the  Third  Edition. — Although  only  a  few  years  have  passed 
since  the  Second  Edition  was  issued  many  changes  have  taken  place  at  Cornell. 
Since  then  the  university  has  come  under  the  able  administration  of  Dr. 
Livingston  Farrand.  The  magnificent  Baker  Laboratory  of  Chemistry  and 
the  Straight  Memorial  Union  building  have  been  added  to  the  equipment  of 
the  institution.  These  are  outstanding  items.  Those  of  lesser  import  are  so 
numerous  as  to  preclude  their  listing  here.  In  the  text,  however,  it  is 
endeavored  to  make  a  faithful  record  of  all  those  changes  that  have  signifi- 
cance. The  approval  given  the  two  previous  issues,  together  with  the  indicated 
need  of  bringing  the  contents  up  to  date,  is  the  warrant  for  a  Third  Revised 
Edition. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION 

THOMAS  HUGHES,  who  wrote  "Tom  Brown's 
Schooldays,"  and  who  may,  accordingly,  be 
quoted  with  some  appropriateness  in  a  volume 
such  as  this,  avers  that  he  once  made  a  resolution 
never  to  write  a  preface.  His  idea  seems  to  have 
been  that  a  preface  is  unnecessary  if  the  author  is 
content  to  have  his  aim  read  in  what  he  has  written. 
But,  alas,  in  its  sixth  edition,  Thomas  Hughes 
broke  his  resolution  in  order  to  defend  both  the 
content  and  the  purpose  of  the  famous  book.  In 
view  of  this  history  the  present  writer  may  be  par- 
doned for  inserting  the  apology,  if  such  it  is,  in  the 
first  edition,  in  order  to  make  sure  that  it  will 
appear  at  all. 

First,  then,  it  is  hoped  that  this  book  is  not  the 
one  too  many.  A  shop-girl,  at  Christmas  time, 
puzzled  to  find  a  suitable  gift  for  a  friend,  consulted 
a  mutual  acquaintance.  "Why,"  said  the  confi- 
dante, "get  her  a  book."  "No,"  answered  the 
prospective  donor,  "that  won't  do,  she  has  a  book 
already!"  In  a  university  community  most  every 
one  has  a  book.  Yet  it  may  be  that  there  is  still 
room  on  the  shelf  for  another,  and  it  is  the  hope, 
perhaps  fond,  of  the  author  that  this  volume  will 
fill  that  place. 

Next  it  should  be  said  that  the  excuse  the 
author  offers  for  attempting  to  describe  Cornell  is 
that  he  has  frequented  her  halls  both  as  an  under- 
graduate and  graduate  student  and  as  a  member  of 
the  faculty;  and  not  that  he  can  claim  to  know 


xvi  Concerning  Cornell 

Cornell  so  intimately  as  do  those  who  have  been 
much  longer  in  her  service.  The  project  in  any 
event  is  overly  ambitious,  and  in  this  aspect  recalls 
the  lament  of  the  old  professor  who,  after  thirty 
years  of  study  devoted  solely  to  the  dative  and 
ablative  cases,  remarked:  "he  would  much  better 
have  stuck  to  the  dative !" 

Finally,  it  is  hoped  that  if  the  text  prove  unat- 
tractive buyers  will  find  enlightenment  and  enter- 
tainment in  the  pictures.  But  with  regard  to  these 
there  is  also  occasion  for  misgivings;  for  it  was 
found  that  the  barber  who  formerly  presided  over 
the  third  chair  back  had  been  discharged  because 
"he  got  so  he  illustrated  his  stories  with  cuts." 

Seriously,  there  is  a  good  reason  for  the  appear- 
ance of  such  a  volume  as  this  at  the  present  time, 
for  its  publication  will  help  to  invite  attention  to 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Cornell, 
1868-1918.  The  end  of  the  world  war  may  well 
mark  the  initiation  of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of 
the  institution.  In  that  case  these  pages  will  afford 
some  summary  of  the  first  fifty  years  of  progress, 
at  any  rate  in  contrast  with  what  the  future  shall 
bring  forth,  even  though  the  great  strides  forward 
of  the  past  are  herein  lamely  told.  It  is  with  this 
idea  in  mind  that  the  writer  presumes  so  far  as  to 
think  that  the  volume  may  have  some  permanent 
value. 

And,  as  is  usual,  the  preface  is  the  last  word  set 
down;  at  that  time  the  need  for  apologies  is  most 
acutely  felt. 

Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1917. 


CONCERNING  CORNELL 


CORNELL 

A  POEM* 

By  President  Albert  W.  Smith 

Lo,  at  her  feet  the  valley  lies; 

She  stands  in  changing  shade  and  shine 
Of  brooding  clouds  and  sunny  skies 

Amidst  the  hills  of  oak  and  pine. 

Her  bells  ring  out  o'er  winter's  snow, 
To  summer  skies,  in  autumn's  haze; 

And  many  murmuring  waters  flow 
Where  we  exulting  sing  her  praise. 

She  sees  the  lake  with  mirrored  shore, 

Or  swept  by  winds  and  flecked  with  white. 

Beneath  the  stars  she  watches  o'er 
The  city  twinkling  through  the  night. 

The  chiming  hours  too  swiftly  run 

While  blithe  or  sad  we  tread  her  ways, 

Till  all  the  golden  days  are  done 

In  which  we  learn  to  sing  her  praise. 


*This  poem  was  originally  very  kindly  offered  by,  then,  Dean 
Smith  for  first  appearance  in  this  volume.  Owing  to  a  delay  in 
publication  it  was  earlier  printed  elsewhere  set  to  music. 


CHAPTER    I 

THE  CAMPUS 

F  T  MUST  be  confessed  that  most  of  us  are  crea- 
*  tures  of  environment,  in  that  we  are  depressed 
and  unhappy  if  our  surroundings  are  not  agreeable. 
We  do  our  best  work,  we  dream  big  things  when 
the  spirit  is  free  from  the  petty  discomfort  aroused 
by  any  unfitness  of  the  scene.  It  is  true  that  the 
genius  may  rise  above  such  minor  distractions  and 
achieve  greatness  in  a  sordid  habitat.  But  the 
average  person  becomes  sensible  of  leisure,  and  of 
ambition  to  enjoy  a  broader  intellectual  life,  most 
keenly  when  the  flesh  is  satisfied  and  the  mind  con- 
tent. He  smiles  when  nature  smiles.  It  is,  there- 
fore, pleasant  to  write  down,  as  a  first  thing  in  this 
book,  that  the  Cornell  Campus  is  beautiful.  Beau- 
tiful, not  merely  as  pretty,  but  in  a  way  that  in- 
spires one  with  a  profound  conviction  of  the  entire 
appropriateness  of  the  scene  and  its  setting.  Nor 
is  this  the  pronouncement  only  of  the  writer  and 
of  the  tribe  of  Cornellians.  Unprejudiced  visitors, 
both  foreign  and  American,  have  been  unstinted  in 
their  praise;  they  have  declared  that  the  site  of 
Cornell  is  practically  unrivalled  elsewhere  in  the 
world,  that  it  is  uniquely  fit  for  a  seat  and  abode 
of  higher  learning.  No  need  here  for  damning  with 
faint  praise. 

While  many  details  give  each  their  touch  to 
make  up  the  attractiveness  of  Cornell  as  a  whole, 
a  broad  perspective  first,  will  best  serve  to  put 


4  Concerning  Cornell 

those  readers  who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  univer- 
sity in  sympathetic  touch  with  my  theme.  Some 
kind  of  standard  on  which  to  base  a  judgment  is 
needed.  Thus  the  surroundings  of  European  uni- 
versities, particularly  those  of  England,  are  pro- 
verbially charming  and  picturesque.  Much  of  this 
attractiveness  they  owe  to  the  dignity  and  mellow- 
ing effects  that  come  with  age.  It  is  not  so  with 
Cornell.  One  can  best  appreciate  this  by  going 
back,  only  a  comparatively  few  years,  with  Cor- 
nell's revered  first  president,  Andrew  D.  White,  to 
the  time  when  Cornell  was  but  a  vision  of  the 
future.  In  the  introduction  to  a  pamphlet  for  the 
guidance  of  class  secretaries,  published  in  1914, 
Mr.  White  wrote: 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  realize  that  the  day-dreams 
of  Ezra  Cornell  and  myself  as  we  stood  together  for  the 
first  time  on  the  hilltop  which  has  since  become  the 
campus  and  discussed  plans  for  the  university  which 
now  bears  his  name,  have  become  realities  within  a 
single  generation.  The  wooded  ravines  of  Cascadilla 
and  Fall  Creek  were  beautiful  then  as  now,  but  the  clear 
land  between  was  but  a  meagre  pasture,  furrowed  by 
ancient  glaciers  and  divided  by  rail  fences,  with  only 
here  and  there  a  tree  left  standing  in  a  soil  apparently 
too  scanty  to  be  valuable.  The  Cascadilla  Building  of 
gray  stone  in  the  distance  and  a  few  cottages  and  barns 
were  the  only  structures  on  these  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres.  The  ideal  so  firmly  fixed  in  the  mind  of 
Mr.  Cornell  of  a  university  with  many  buildings  and 
with  hundreds  or  perhaps  thousands  of  students, 
seemed  so  remote  as  to  be  mere  phantasy.  The  village 
of  Ithaca,  clustered  among  the  trees  of  the  valley  be- 
low us,  the  wide  sweep  of  the  wooded  hills  beyond  and 
the  blue  water  of  Cayuga  in  the  distance  were  vivid 


The  Campus  5 

realities;  but  the  university  domain  which  has  now 
become  increased  to  more  than  a  thousand  acres,  with 
its  scores  of  buildings,  its  towers  and  spires,  its  chiming 
bells  and  the  hurrying  crowds  of  students  were  as  yet 
unthought  of. 

In  the  closing  sentence  of  the  quotation  above, 
Mr.  White  gave  a  suggestion  of  the  present  day 
Cornell.  By  attempting  to  form  a  concept  of  an 
ideal  site  for  an  American  University,  we  can  in 
certain  measure  put  ourselves  in  the  position  of  the 
Founder  and  Mr.  White  in  those  early  days  when 
they  dreamed  and,  above  all,  planned  the  future. 
In  some  such  frame  of  mind  the  Harvard  writer 
must  have  been  who  pictures  the  distress  of  an  en- 
tering freshman  of  that  university  on  finding 
Harvard  a  composite  article  made  up  of  many 
more  or  less  insignificant  buildings  crowTded  in  by 
commonplace  streets.  He  had  expected  to  find  it, 
no  doubt,  the  typical  American  college,  a  few  im- 
posing edifices  surrounded  with  glorious  country,  a 
great  campus  and  the  Charles  River.  The  few  red 
buildings  forming  the  rectangle,  looked  like  some- 
thing out  of  the  ordinary  it  is  true,  but  still  he  half 
doubted,  and  to  make  sure  he  hailed  the  first  man 
who  looked  like  a  student  with:  "Say,  is  this  Har- 
vard ?"  If  we  can  agree  with  the  Harvard  writer's 
characterization  of  what  the  setting  of  a  typical 
American  university  should  be,  then  we  are  in  a 
position  to  appreciate  how  completely  the  present 
day  Cornell  fulfills  such  an  ideal.  There  are  more 
than  a  few  imposing  edifices  and  they  are  not  sur- 
rounded by  commonplace  streets.    Instead  they 


6  Concerning  Cornell 

rise,  with  impressive  individuality,  from  a  com- 
manding site.  The  glorious  country,  miles  and 
miles  of  it,  stretches  out  to  view  on  every  side  and 
the  university  dominates  it  all.  The  campus  is 
truly  great,  it  encompasses  more  than  a  thousand 
acres,  and  the  scenery  that  is  its  very  own  is  in 
itself  romantic  enough  to  give  inspiration  to  an 
American  Walter  Scott.  In  place  of  the  Charles 
River  one  may  look  with  even  greater  enthusiasm 
upon  the  fair  expanse  of  Lake  Cayuga,  winding 
northward  to  the  horizon. 

The  greatest  of  these  advantages,  the  com- 
manding site  from  which  the  glorious  country  and 
the  prospect  of  the  lake  are  visible,  was  present  at 
the  university's  beginning.  The  elevated  position 
of  the  campus  is  expressive  of  the  high  ideals  and 
lofty  aspirat'ons  of  Cornell.  But  the  charm  of  the 
Cornell  setting  is  more  intimate  and  pervasive  than 
could  be  engendered  by  simply  crowning  the  hill. 
It  is  within  the  quadrangle,  sequestered  on  all  sides 
by  the  college  buildings,  that  one  becomes  par- 
ticularly imbued  with  that  indefinable  feeling 
called  college  spirit.  It  would  be  difficult  to  tell 
from  whence  exactly  emanates  this  consciousness 
of  something  partaking  at  once  of  cloistered  learn- 
ing and  throbbing  life.  The  buildings  must  cer- 
tainly contribute  a  part.  Although  comparatively 
few  years  have  elapsed  since  the  formal  opening  of 
the  university  in  October,  1868,  much  of  the  qual- 
ity of  quiet  dignity,  of  tested  fitness,  has  become 
attached  to  Cornell's  halls.  They  lack  the  moss- 
grown  picturesqueness  of  the  continental  institu- 


The  Campus  7 

tions  but  they  are  old  enough  to  be  mantled  by  the 
ivy.  Hence,  from  the  vantage  point  of  the  Cornell 
quadrangle,  one  can  not  feel  much  sympathy  for 
the  American  professor  who  quotes  from  Mr.  Ben- 
son's essay  "From  a  College  Window"  as  follows: 

My  room  looks  out  into  a  little  court,  there  is  a  plot 
of  grass,  and  to  the  right  of  it  an  old  stone-built  wall, 
close  against  which  stands  a  row  of  aged  lime-trees. 
Straight  opposite,  at  right  angles  to  the  wall,  is  the 
east  side  of  a  Hall,  with  its  big  traceried  windows  en- 
livened with  a  few  heraldic  shields  of  stained  glass. 
While  I  was  looking  out  today  there  came  a  flying 
burst  of  sun,  and  the  little  corner  became  a  sudden 
feast  of  delicate  color,  the  rich  green  of  the  grass,  the 
foliage  of  the  lime-trees,  their  brown  wrinkled  stems, 
the  pale  moss  on  the  walls,  the  bright  points  of  color 
in  the  emblazonries  of  the  window,  made  a  sudden 
delicate  harmony  of  tints.  I  had  seen  the  place  a 
hundred  times  before  without  ever  guessing  what  a 
perfect  picture  it  made.  Inside  the  porter  sat  in  his 
comfortable  den  with  his  feet  on  the  fender,  reading 
a  paper  

After  this  quotation,  the  American  professor 
bemoans  his  fate  because  he  finds  that  from  his 
office  window  at  the  university: 

The  outlook  is  pleasing  but  lacks  inspiration.  The 
grass  is  green  enough,  when  not  wholly  worn  shabby 
by  students  seeking  a  short  cut  to  learning.  The 
American  elms  rival  the  English  lime-trees,  the  sun 
is  brighter,  the  sky  bluer  than  across  the  waters. 
But  there  is  no  den,  no  porter! 

It  is  quite  evident  that  this  professor  is  not 
from  Cornell.  Though  the  environment  of  his 
college  may  not  be  ideal,  it  is  clear,  also,  that  some- 


8  Concerning  Cornell 

thing  American  is  lacking  in  his  make-up  if  he  can 
not  find  inspiration  in  the  brighter  sun,  the  bluer 
sky,  and  the  graceful  American  elms.  We  may  be 
sure  that  the  Cornell  elms  already  outrival  the 
aged  English  lime-trees  although  the  elms  have 
not  yet  attained  their  full  maturity  of  growth. 
The  "short  cut  to  learning"  is  present  also  on  the 
Cornell  quadrangle.  Of  it  we  are  no  less  than 
proud.  Far  from  being  a  source  of  irritation  such 
paths  add  much  to  the  pictorial  interest  of  the 
scene.  Moreover,  while  ivy-mantled  walls  and 
stone  walks,  hollowed  by  the  passing  of  many  feet, 
bestow  a  distinctive  charm  that  bespeaks  the  mel- 
lowing effect  of  age,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
Cornell  is  still  growing.  The  number  of  her  stu- 
dents increases  each  year  and  new  buildings  rise  to 
accommodate  them  with  classrooms.  With  enough 
of  age  to  give  stability,  one  feels  that  this  growth 
expresses  the  strong  vitality  of  the  university. 
Accordingly  the  excavations  for  a  new  foundation 
are  not  an  eyesore. 

But,  please  pardon  the  perversion,  we  must  not 
neglect  the  trees  by  looking  at  the  woods  too  long. 
I  want  that  you  should  know  and  enjoy  Cornell  in 
all  her  intimate  detail.  Let  us  therefore  undertake 
a  systematic  tour  of  the  Campus,  lingering  here 
and  there  on  the  trip,  as  our  inclination  may  dic- 
tate, to  get  some  insight  of  the  living,  as  well  as  of 
the  material  organism  of  the  university.  I  have 
you  with  me  in  spirit,  yet  you  must  see  everything 
through  my  eyes,  and  I  can  only  talk  to  you  in  cold 
print.    There  is  danger  that  the  picture  may  be 


10  Concerning  Cornell 

distorted.  I  must  always  remember  that  we  are 
doing  this  together  and  that  as  your  interest  is  in 
the  things  that  are  directly  before  us,  I  must  keep 
our  progress  to  an  orderly  course  lest  I  lose  you. 
Mine,  you  see,  would  ordinarily  be  a  difficult  role, 
and  I  might  hesitate  to  undertake  the  part  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  to  cloak  my  indifferent  ability 
as  a  guide,  there  will  be  something  to  interest  us 
every  bit  of  the  way. 


THE    WHITE    GATEWAY 


We  enter  the  Campus  at  its  southwestern  corner 
where  town  and  gown  are  marked  off  by  the  White 
Gateway,  a  substantial  memorial  of  sandstone  ma- 
sonry, with  inscriptions  and  adornment  that  ad- 
mirably express  the  spirit  of  the  institution.  The 
iron  scrollwork  that  forms  the  central  crosspiece 
of  the  gateway  bears  the  original  university  seal 
and  motto  expressing,   in  his  own  words,  Ezra 


The  Campus 


ll 


Cornell's  ideal  of  the  purpose  of  the  university 
from  the  date  of  its  inception:  "I  would  found  an 
institution  where  any  person  can  find  instruction 
in  any  study."  The  donor  of  the  gateway,  .Presi- 
dent A.  D.  White,  has  addressed  himself  to  those 
who  come  to  take  advantage  of  this  splendid  offer. 
His  advice,  carved  on  a  granite  block  set  in  the 
west  side  of  the  structure,  is  well  suited  to  guide  a 
university  career  and  to  crown  its  fruition: 

So  enter  that  daily  thou  mayest  become  more 
learned  and  thoughtful, 

So  depart  that  daily  thou  mayest  become  more 
useful  to  thy  country  and  to  mankind. 


THE    CASCADILLA    BUILDING 


Passing  through  the  gate  we  follow  the  walk 
that  borders  the  deep  gorge  of  Cascadilla  Stream. 
On  our  right  is  the  massive,  square  Cascadilla 
Building,  the  first  structure  owned  by  the  univer- 
sity.   At  the  opening  of  the  institution  this  build- 


12  Concerning  Cornell 

ing  housed  the  registrar's  and  the  faculty  offices,  in 
addition  to  providing  faculty  and  student  living 
rooms.  For  a  number  of  years  just  past  it  had  been 
used  only  as  a  residence  hall  for  students  and  fac- 
ulty. The  whole  interior  of  the  building  has,  how- 
ever, very  recently  been  entirely  remodeled  and 
refurnished  and  made  the  first  of  the  university 
dormitories  for  men  students. 

Continuing  up  hill  we  turn  to  the  left  and  come 
then  directly  to  the  stone-arch  bridge  over  Casca- 
dilla  Stream.  One  may  lean  far  out  over  the  para- 
pet of  this  bridge  and  look  directly  down  on  the 
rushing  white  current  of  the  waterfall  known  as  the 
Giant's  Staircase,  many  feet  below.    In  its  winter 

casement  of  ice,  particu- 
larly when  a  heavy  snow- 
fall clothes  in  white  every 
twig  and  branch  of  the 
trees  that  spring  out  from 
the  gorge  walls  on  either 
side,  this  fall  presents  an 
attractive  sight.  In  sum- 
mer the  view  down  the 
length  of  the  gorge,  over 
the  tops  of  the  evergreens 
opens  a  long  vista  to  the 
far  western  side  of  Cay- 
uga Valley.  This  out- 
look is  especially  beauti- 
ful in  the  evening  when 
the  sunset  colors  tint  the 

THE   GIANT  S  STAIRCASE-  , 

winter  sky. 


The  Campus  13 

Cascadilla  Bridge  is  the  beginning  of  Central 
Avenue.  As  in  every  great  city  there  is  an  artery 
of  traffic  where  the  city's  life  pulses  most  actively 
and  visibly,  so,  also,  at  Cornell  we  have,  in  Central 
Avenue,  a  similar  thoroughfare.  Over  some  por- 
tion of  its  length  the  greater  part  of  the  student 
body  passes  several  times  a  day  going  to  and  from 
classes.  Consequently,  its  blue,  flag-stone  pave- 
ment serves  as  an  effective  publicity  medium  for 
white-chalked  announcements  of  undergraduate 
affairs.  These  signs  are  the  fruit  of  midnight  toil 
on  the  part  of  the  student  competitors  for  manage- 
rial positions  in  the  various  college  organizations. 
Now  it  is  a  football  game  that  is  proclaimed,  a  few 
days  later  a  glee  club  concert  date  and  next  an 
exhortation  to  subscribe  for  the  Cornell  Sun,  the 
college  daily,  may  appear.  In  the  first  week  of  the 
school  year  the  avenue  is  a  scene  of  feverish  ac- 
tivity. Its  whole  length  is  dotted  with  student 
business  agents.  The  returning  undergraduates, 
particularly  the  incoming  freshmen,  must  be  cajoled 
or  threatened  into  signing  a  contract  for  this,  that 
and  the  other  necessity.  Particularly  persistent 
are  the  subscription  canvassers  for  the  various 
undergraduate  publications.  There  is  an  almost 
endless  number  of  such  periodicals. 

A  printed  form  is  thrust  at  the  classman  and  he 
is  urged  to  "Subscribe  for  the  Sun!"  "You  can't 
get  along  without  the  Sun,  all  the  college  news 
every  morning!"  He  subscribes.  Then  he  has  to 
ward  off  a  "Widow"  man,  acting  and  active  for 
the  humorous  semi-monthly;  the  agent  for  the 


14  Concerning  Cornell 

Cornell  Graphic,  the  pictorial  sheet  that  has 
ousted  the  Cornell  Era,  for  years  the  literary 
journal  at  Cornell,  and  other  agents  for  the  Sibley 
Journal  and  the  Cornell  Countryman.  Perhaps 
even  the  Alumni  News  is  sold  to  a  freshman!  On 
several  occasions  an  enterprising  junior  has  been 
discovered  selling  Official  Announcements  of 
Courses,  distributed  gratis  by  the  university,  to 
untutored  freshmen  at  twenty-five  cents  the  copy. 
Of  course  that  is  hilariously  funny  to  every  sopho- 
more, especially  if  the  vender  is  a  popular  ath- 
lete. Perhaps  not  second  in  aggressiveness  to  the 
publication  agents,  are  the  emissaries  of  the  ath- 
letic office  disposing  of  season  tickets  with  their 
barking  queries  and  commands:  "Got  your  season 
ticket  yet?"  "Don't  shortskate;  buy  a  season 
ticket,  good  for  all  games!"  Next  comes  the 
laundry  agency  solicitor,  "signing  up"  the  under- 
graduate wash  and  dispensing  lettered  bags. 
There  still  remain  the  pressing  contract  purveyor, 
who  sells  agreements  to  keep  trousers  creased  in 
varying  numbers  and  for  various  time  periods,  and 
a  host  of  less  ubiquitous  individuals  who  are  in 
pursuit  of  some  especial  quarry.  Indeed  the  avenue 
is  at  this  time  the  stage  for  a  veritable  running  of 
the  gauntlet  by  the  uninitiated,  especially  when  the 
victim  is  from  necessity  or  habit  inclined  to  provide 
his  purse  with  secluded  shelter.  It  is  said  that, 
when  later  in  the  year  a  certain  freshman  was 
approached  by  one  of  the  workers  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  with  the  query: 
"What  are  you  doing  for  your  immortal  soul?" 


The  Campus 


15 


he  answered,  unthinkingly,  still  on  the  defensive, 
"Oh,  I've  signed  up  with  the  other  fellow!" 

But  let  us  continue  our  tour.  Crossing  the 
bridge  we  note  on  our  right  the  Kappa  Alpha  fra- 
ternity house  on  the  crest  of  a  knoll,  and  directly 
opposite  it,  half  hidden  among  tall  trees  is  the 
Psi  Upsilon  Lodge.  At  the  head  of  the  first  slope 
we  catch  a  dis- 
tant glimpse  of 
the  valley  of 
Cayuga  Lake 
with  the  broad 
lawn  and  house 
of  the  Sigma  Phi 
fraternity  as  a 
foreground. 
Just  across  the 
avenue  from 
this  house  is 
the  red  brick 
Armory,  and, 
attached  to  it 
in  the  rear,  the 
Gymnasium, 
where  the  fam- 
ous  Cornell 
oarsmen  receive  their  early  spring  training  on  row- 
ing machines.  Both  the  armory  and  gymnasium 
are  at  present  wholly  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the 
student  body,  although  the  latter  at  the  time  of  its 
completion  was  considered  the  best  equipped  col- 
lege gymnasium  in  the  country. 


FRONT    OF    THE    OLD    ARMORY 


16  Concerning  Cornell 

Cornell  owes  part  of  its  endowment  to  land 
grants  made  by  Congress  under  the  Morrill  Act, 
and  must,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
that  act,  give  adequate  training  in  military  science 
to  all  but  specially  excepted  undergraduates.  Of- 
ficers of  the  United  States  Army  are  in  charge. 
The  commandants  detailed  to  Cornell  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  past  inveighed  against  the 
insufficiency  of  the  armory  quarters  for  training 
the  cadet  corps.  The  demand  for  better  facili- 
ties finally  became  so  insistent  that  the  New  York 
State  legislature  was  compelled  to  recognize  the 
need,  and,  in  1914,  provided  for  the  erection  of  a 
new  drill  hall,  completed  in  1917,  with  four  times 
the  floor  space  available  in  the  armory.  This  action 
was  especially  gratifying  to  Cornellians  when,  in 
the  same  year,  the  War  Department  at  Washington 
for  the  first  time  included  the  university  in  it^  small 
list  of  the  distinguished  institutions  selected  from 
among  many  giving  instruction  in  military  science. 

That  distinction  was  won  each  year  from  1919 
on.  There  is  ample  evidence  in  the  record  of  the 
Great  War  that  the  military  training  Cornell 
affords  is  most  effective.  Over  three  thousand 
Cornell  graduates  and  undergraduates  held  com- 
missions in  the  Army  and  Navy  during  the  world 
conflict  and  among  these  were  two  generals  and  ten 
colonels.  In  view  of  the  comparatively  small  total 
of  living  Cornell  alumni,  less  than  thirty  thousand, 
this  is  a  remarkable  showing.  Consequently  it  is 
not  surprising  that  a  completely  equipped  artillery 
unit  has  now  been  added  to  the  corps. 


The  Campus 


17 


In  the  hollow  below  the  armory  is  the  old  uni- 
versity heating  plant  that  has  recently  been  aban- 
doned. A  great  modern  plant  situated  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  distant  from  the  Library  Tower  now 
furnishes  steam  heat  to  all  the  university  buildings. 
The  Totem  Pole,  a  curious  monument  for  this  part 
of  the  world,  formerly  stood  close  by  the  armory. 
It  was  secured  for  Cornell  by  Professor  Fernow 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Harri- 
man  Expedition  to  Alaska. 
Such  poles  are  similar  to  the 
coat  of  arms  of  an  European 
family.  It  seems  that  the  ex- 
pedition got  word  of  a  deserted 
village  of  the  Tlingit  Indians, 
said  to  contain  a  large  number 
of  these  totem  poles  and  to  be 
situated  on  Cape  Fox.  The 
professors  from  other  univer- 
sities wTho  were  members  of  the 
expedition  immediately  set  to 
work  to  secure  one  of  a  small 
type  of  poles  that  the  Indians 
kept  indoors.  Professor  Fer- 
now had  scruples  about  taking 
the  totems,  moreover  he  was  not  sure  that  Cornell 
wanted  one.  So  it  was  not  until  some  of  the  others, 
working  in  pairs,  vaunted  of  their  prowess  in  get- 
ting down  to  the  ship  unusually  large  specimens  of 
the  indoor  type,  that  he  essayed  the  same  task 
single  handed.  Having  some  knowledge  of  me- 
chanics, as  he  modestly  puts  it,  he  easily  succeeded 


THE    TOTEM    POLE 


18 


Concerning  Cornell 


in  this,  and  then  attempted  the  removal  of  the 
large,  outdoor  pole  now  on  the  campus.  At  this 
task  the  ship's  company  helped  him  at  a  critical 
moment  with  their  tackle,  else  he  might  have 
been  discomfited.  Having  to  choose  between  the 
two  poles,  he  fixed  on  the  larger,  weather-beaten 
one.  Thus  Cornell  was  the  first  university  to  se- 
cure a  "full-grown"  specimen  of  the  Alaskan  totem 
pole.  This  pole  has  recently  been  moved  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  Hoy  Field,  the  baseball 
grounds.  It  has  also  had  its  original  coloration 
restored  and  the  planting  at  its  base  is  in  keeping 
with  that  it  had  in  its  native  setting. 

Retracing  our  steps  to  Central  Avenue  and  con- 
tinuing our  walk 
along  it  we  pass 
the  United  States 
Weather  Bureau 
kiosk  where  the 
weather  predic- 
tion for  the  day  is 
posted  each  morn- 
ing,  and  a  rain 
gauge,  a  barom- 
eter, maximum 
and  minimum 
thermometers, 
thermograph  and 
other  weather  instruments,  are  in  operation.  It  is  a 
great  comfort  to  stop  on  a  frosty  morning  and  ob- 
serve how  low  the  temperature  actually  is,  inas- 
much as  the  weather  is  the  great  staple  of  conver- 


THE    WEATHER    BUREAU    KIOSK 


The  Campus  19 

sation  on  a  university  campus  as  well  as  elsewhere 
in  the  world. 

Sage  Cottage,  formerly  used  as  a  women's  dor- 
mitory, comes  next  on  the  left.  It  now  houses  the 
University  Club,  whose  membership  is  made  up  of 


CA6CAUILLA    BRIDGE     WITH    UNIVERSITY    CLUB    IN    DISTANCE 

the  faculty  and  administrative  officers  of  the  uni- 
versity and  their  wives,  and,  by  election,  other 
residents  of  Ithaca.  Across  the  beautiful  sloping 
lawn  to  the  right  is  Sage  College,  one  of  the  two 
large  dormitories  for  women  that  the  university  now 
possesses.  In  the  corner  stone  of  Sage  College  Ezra 
Cornell  deposited  a  mysterious  letter,  of  which  only 
he  knew  the  contents,  saying  in  the  closing  remarks 
of  his  speech  at  the  laying  of  the  stone:  "The  let- 
ter, of  which  I  have  kept  no  copy,  will  relate  to 
future  generations  the  cause  of  the  failure  of  this 
experiment,  if  it  ever  does  fail,  as  I  trust  God  it 
never  will."  Cornell  was  one  of  the  first  institu- 
tions of  higher  learning  to  adopt  co-education. 


20  Concerning  Cornell 

Opposite  Sage  College  we  come  to  the  most 
attractive  part  of  Central  Avenue.  Beautiful  urn- 
form  elms,  in  unbroken,  parallel  rows,  completely 
overarch  the  roadway.  Their  graceful  boughs 
frame  a  leafy  vista  that  leads  the  eye  inevitably  to 
the  crest  of  a  gentle  slope  where  the  quadrangle 
begins.  There  the  prospect  ends,  but  a  slight  curve 
in  the  roadway  brings  the  gray  spire  of  the  library 
tower  into  view  above  the  tree-tops,  an  allurement 
suggesting  other  enchantments  beyond.  For  the 
moment,  however,  we  are  satisfied  with  the  scene 
that  is  before  us.  It  is  the  one  view  that  every  ama- 
teur photographer  who  comes  to  Cornell  attempts, 
indeed  selects  it  usually  for  his  first  picture. 

We  next  pass  by  the  last  remaining  of  a  row  of 
professors'  houses.  The  houses  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  row  were  torn  down  in  1924  to  make  room 
for  the  Straight  Memorial  Union,  in  front  of  which 
we  now  stand. 

Willard  Straight,  Cornell  '01,  directed  in  his  will 
that  something  be  done  to  make  Cornell  a  more  hu- 
man institution.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Straight,  after 
much  study  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  Cornell 
Union  would  best  serve  the  need  her  husband  had 
conceived  to  exist.  The  building  she  has  graciously 
provided  will  henceforth  be  the  social  and  recrea- 
tional center  of  the  university.  If  Willard  Straight 
meant,  as  is  probable,  that  he  wished  to  devise 
means  through  which  the  university  group,  under- 
graduates, faculty  and  alumni  could  come  freely 
and  naturally  into  social  contact,  the  Union  is  al- 
together a  fitting  solution. 


Barnes  Hall 


The  Memorial  Apse  in  Sage  Chapel 


The  Library  Tower  at  Night 


The  Campus  21 

The  smaller  women's  entrance  is  at  the  lower 
corner.  We  go  in  through  the  main  entrance  at 
the  upper  end.  On  the  main  floor  is  the  feature 
room  of  the  Union,  a  combined  lounge,  banquet 
and  dance  hall,  that  is  especially  a  memorial  to 
Mr.  Straight.  Its  size,  its  height,  the  dignity  of 
its  fittings  and  the  beautiful  outlooks  from  it  across 
the  valley  all  contribute  to  this  end.  Another  fea- 
ture of  the  building  is  the  complete  theatre  on  the 
lower  level  at  the  southwest  corner.  On  this  level 
we  find  also  a  cafeteria;  on  the  upper  floors  are 
bed  rooms  for  the  returning  alumni,  private  dining 
rooms,  committee  rooms  and  recreation  rooms. 

Barnes  Hall  across  the  avenue  from  the  Union 
is  the  home  of  the  University  Christian  Associa- 
tion. Previously  to  the  building  of  the  Union, 
Barnes  Hall  provided  the  undergraduates  with  as 
much  of  clubhouse  facilities  as  its  size  permitted, 
a  reading  room  and  a  "coffee  house"  with  walls 
uniquely  decorated  being  its  especial  features. 

Just  beyond  Barnes  Hall  to  the  north  is  Sage 
Chapel.  In  its  Memorial  Chapel  the  founder  of 
the  university,  Ezra  Cornell,  and  the  first  presi- 
dent, Andrew  D.  White,  are  interred;  as  are  also 
John  McGraw  and  Jennie  McGraw  Fiske,  his 
daughter,  all  notable  benefactors  of  the  institution. 
In  the  Sage  Memorial  Apse  at  the  front  of  the 
building  lie  the  mortal  remains  of  Henry  W.  Sage, 
after  whom  the  chapel  is  named,  and  whose  gift  it 
was  to  the  university.  His  wife  lies  at  his  side. 
Around  the  walls  of  the  chapel  auditorium  are 
many   commemorative   tablets.    These,   and   the 


22  Concerning  Cornell 

memorial  windows  of  stained  glass,  constitute  a 
Cornell  roll  of  honor,  recording  for  posterity  the 
noble  lives  and  deaths  of  those  whom  Cornell  is 
proud  to  honor  for  distinguished  association  with 
her  as  students,  faculty  or  benefactors.  Because  of 
these  records  the  chapel  has  been  termed  a  Cornell 
Westminster  Abbey  and  is  even  so  revered  by 
Cornell  ians. 

As  a  whole  the  chapel  is  quite  generally  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  of  worship  in 


INTERIOR    SAGE    CHAPEL 


America.  There  are  but  few  examples  of  mosaic 
work  in  the  United  States  which  rival  either  in  size 
or  merit  that  which  adorns  the  memorial  apse. 
Painted  on  the  brown  ground  of  the  center  of  each 
of  the  sloping  panels  of  the  roof  of  the  chapel  are 
ecclesiastical  emblems  on  canvases  of  quatrefoil 


The  Campus  23 

shape,  namely  "the  temple,  the  ship  on  the  wave, 
and  the  ship  and  the  pennant — all  symbols  of  the 
church;  the  anchor  which  is  a  symbol  of  hope  and 
patience;  the  lamb  of  piety  and  wisdom,  the  lamb 
and  pennant,  of  the  Redeemer;  the  cross  of  the 
redemption,  the  interwoven  triangles  of  the  Trin- 
ity; the  lion,  symbol  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah,  the  open 
book  with  a  hand  pointing  to  the  Beatitudes,  a 
symbol  of  the  Gospels;  the  sword  and  the  palm,  of 
martyrdom  and  victory;  the  chalice  of  faith;  the 
flaming  heart  of  fervent  piety  and  love;  the  stand- 
ard, the  wreath  and  the  crown,  symbols  of  victory 
over  evil ;  the  sun,  stars  and  the  crescent  moon ,  of 
the  luminous  nebula  which  emanates  from  and 
surrounds  the  Divine  essence;  and  finally  the  burn- 
ing bush,  symbol  of  the  religious  fervor  of  the  mar- 
tyrs." The  whole  scheme  is  "rich  in  its  suggest- 
iveness  of  the  centuries  of  Christian  tradition, 
harmonious  in  its  coloring  and  entirely  appropriate 
in  its  design  and  execution." 

Cornell  students  are  not  required  to  attend 
chapel  at  any  time,  nevertheless  the  building  is 
generally  crowded  beyond  its  capacity  every  Sun- 
day, and  at  both  services;  the  one  in  the  afternoon 
being  principally  musical.  Before  the  hour  of  ser- 
vice one  may  often  witness  the  curious  spectacle 
of  a  large  crowd  of  young  people  waiting  for  the 
doors  of  a  church  to  be  opened.  It  is  sometimes 
impossible  to  secure  even  standing  room  if  one 
comes  a  few  minutes  late.  In  recent  years  it  has 
been  found  necessary  to  limit  attendance  to  those 
holding  cards  of  admission,  which  are  supplied  to 


24  Concerning  Cornell 

every  student  and  to  faculty  members  and,  on 
application,  are  furnished  in  restricted  numbers  to 
others  who  may  wish  to  attend.  There  is,  of 
course,  an  adequate  explanation  for  such  conges- 
tion. It  may  not  be  ascribed  altogether  to  the 
capacity  of  the  chapel,  though  this  would  not,  it 
is  true,  accommodate  one  half  of  the  undergradu- 
ate body.  Rather  it  is  due  to  the  fact  that  while 
it  is  hard  to  drive  students  it  is  easy  to  attract 
them.  Cornell  is  non-sectarian,  but  far  from  irre- 
ligious. On  each  succeeding  Sunday  the  Sage 
Chapel  pulpit  is  filled  by  a  different  notable 
preacher  representing  many  creeds  in  the  course 
of  a  year.  Consequently,  Cornell  undergraduates 
have  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  such  great 
men  as  Phillips  Brooks,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Ly- 
man Abbott,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Hugh  Black, 
Henry  Van  Dyke,  Robert  Collyer,  and  others  of 
equal  renown.  It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  the 
chapel  is  filled  to  overflowing  at  each  service. 

Emerging  from  the  dim  aisles  of  the  chapel  we 
find  ourselves  at  the  base  of  the  great  square  tower 
of  the  University  Library,  in  the  spire  of  which  is 
hung  the  famous  Cornell  chime.  No  words  can 
describe  the  tender,  eager  love  of  every  Cornellian 
for  the  music  of  those  bells.  During  his  under- 
graduate years  they  greet  him  merrily,  exhilarat- 
ingly,  every  morning  as  he  wends  his  way  up  the 
avenue  to  his  first  class.  At  one  o'clock  they  peal 
forth  again,  exultingly;  half  the  day's  work  is 
done.  And  then  at  night,  old  and  loved,  tender 
melodies  give  gracious  benediction  to  those  de- 


The  Campus 


25 


RINGING    THE    CHIM! 


parting  from  the  hill.  The  most  poignant  regret 
of  the  senior,  bidding  good-bye  at  graduation 
time  to  campus  scenes,  is  that  he  may  no  longer 
thrill  to  their  notes, 
wafted  gently  afar,  or 
pealing  full  and  sonorous 
across  the  quadrangle. 
On  returning  from  a  va- 
cation the  classman  feels 
a  glow  of  satisfaction  as 
once  more  he  comes  with- 
in their  spell,  and  this  is 
magnified  into  a  wave  of 
affection  a  thousand  times 
greater  in  the  breast  of 
the  alumnus  revisiting 
Cornell,  alma  mater,  after  an  absence  of  long  years, 
when  the  bells  first  fully  recall  the  many  happy 
memories  of  his  undergraduate  life. 

The  historical  interest  of  the  chime  is  as  charm- 
ingly sentimental  as  its  music.  The  original  nine 
bells  were  presented  in  September,  1868,  the  first 
year  of  the  university,  by  a  young  lady,  Miss 
Jennie  McGraw,  who  had  become  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  new  institution  and  had  expressed  a 
desire  to  President  White  to  make  some  gift  show- 
ing this  feeling.  One  year  later  a  tenth  bell,  a  large 
one  in  the  key  of  D,  destined  to  become  the  clock 
bell  of  the  university,  the  one  on  which  the  hours 
are  struck,  was  added  to  the  chime.  This  was  pre- 
sented by  President  A.  D.  White,  on  behalf  of  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  White,  his  wife,  and  bear3  her  name  and  a 


26  Concerning  Cornell 

quatrain,  written  for  the  bell  by  James  Russell 
Lowell,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  nonresident 
professors  at  the  university : 

I  call  as  fly  the  irrevocable  hours, 

Futile  as  air  or  strong  as  fate  to  make 

Your  lives  of  sand  or  granite;  awful  powers, 
Even  as  men  choose,  they  either  give  or  take. 

One  must  read  these  lines  several  times  over  in 
order  to  get  their  full  import  and  impressiveness. 
Then  they  grip  the  imagination  by  their  almost  fear- 
ful directness.  If  each  student  might  be  required 
to  repeat  them  every  morning  as  he  went  to  his 
day's  classes,  what  a  force  for  earnestness  of  pur- 
pose they  would  exert  on  the  undergraduate  mind ! 

On  the  fortieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
the  university,  1908,  all  but  the  two  largest  bells 
were  recast  and  four  new  ones  added.  By  these 
changes  the  chime  has  been  made  practically  ideal 
for  its  purpose.  The  number  and  the  weight  of  the 
bells,  a  total  of  over  nineteen  thousand  pounds,  is 
such  as  to  allow  of  a  great  variety  in  programs  and 
to  insure  richness  of  tone  and  great  carrying  power. 
The  bells  are  rung  by  hand.  The  student  who  de- 
velops most  skill  in  competitive  trials  is,  as  occa- 
sion arises,  appointed  to  the  position  of  chime- 
master.  In  consequence  of  the  wealth  of  musical 
ability  that  must  be  present  among  so  large  a 
number  of  young  men  from  families  of  culture,  as 
are  represented  in  the  university  undergraduate 
community,  such  selection  insures  that  the  bells 
are  always  in  capable  hands;  thus  their  ringing 
each  day  gives  a  new  joy.    It  is  worth  the  while  of 


The  Campus  27 

strangers  to  come  to  Cornell  if  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  hear  the  chime. 

There  is  current  among  the  undergraduates  a 
legend  that  the  playing  of  the  "Changes"  at  the 
beginning  of  every  morning  and  noon  ringing,  Sun- 
days excepted,  was  stipulated  by  the  donor,  who 
is  also  credited  with  the  composition  of  the  piece 
that,  consequently,  is  known  among  the  students 
as  "The  Jennie  McGraw  Rag."  Neither  presump- 
tion is  correct.  Years  before  the  founding  of  Cor- 
nell, Andrew  D.  White  had  been  struck,  on  hearing 
the  ringing  of  the  "Changes"  on  the  bells  of  Lon- 
don on  Christmas  Eve,  by  the  way  they  kept  the 
air  filled  with  music.  Accordingly,  with  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  trustees,  he  formulated  a  rule  requiring 
the  rendition  of  the  "Changes"  at  the  beginning  of 
every  week-day  morning  and  noon  playing  of  the 
chime  and  this  has  been  the  practice  from  the  very 
first  days  of  the  university. 

Before  continuing  farther  on  our  tour  of  the 
campus,  it  will  be  well  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the 
library  tower  to  get  a  view  over  the  whole  of  the 
university  domain  and  miles  of  its  environment. 
The  key  to  the  door  at  the  base  of  the  tower  we 
obtain  at  the  treasurer's  office  in  Morrill  Hall,  the 
next  building  north.  We  ascend  the  spiral  stair- 
case, and  arriving,  panting,  at  the  top  (the  tower 
is  nearly  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  high)  pause 
for  breath,  the  while  we  peer  at  the  ponderous 
mechanism  of  the  great  university  clock  whose  four 
great  dial-faces  present  themselves  to  each  of  the 
cardinal  directions.    When  any  two  of  these  clock 


28  Concerning  Cornell 

faces,  illuminated,  are  seen  from  a  distance  at  night, 
the  effect  is  curiously  suggestive  of  the  wide,  un- 
blinking eyes  of  a  great  owl  solemnly  watching  over 
the  seekers  of  learning  below.  The  square  corner 
of  the  tower  and  its  peaked  roof  contribute  much 
to  this  resemblance,  which,  in  conjunction  with  the 
commanding  position  of  the  tower,  is  almost  hu- 
morously symbolical  of  the  university  as  an  em- 
bodiment of  wisdom. 

Having  satisfied  our  curiosity  with  regard  to 
the  bell-ringing  keyboard  we  climb  the  last  few 
steps  of  the  iron  stairway,  finding  ourselves  then 
directly  beneath  the  great  bells  of  the  chime. 
Exercise  of  a  little  agility,  in  squeezing  through  the 
massive  framework  supporting  the  bells,  enables 
us  to  get  an  outlook  on  each  side  of  the  tower.  The 
view  in  every  direction  is  impressive.  From  our 
position  at  the  center  of  the  circle,  we  can  survey 
in  all  directions  an  area  of  country  swept  by  a 
seven  mile  radius,  and  some  of  the  distant  hills  are 
fully  fifteen  miles  removed.  To  the  south  the  low 
sloping  nose  of  South  Hill  projects  itself  between 
the  Inlet  Valley  on  the  west  and  the  Six  Mile  Valley 
nearer  at  hand.  Directly  below,  Central  Avenue 
extends  ribbon-like  to  the  tall  Armory  flag-pole, 
beyond  which  the  avenue  disappears  under  border- 
ing trees.  Sage  Chapel,  Barnes  Hall  and  Sage 
College  appear  to  be  part  of  an  architect's  water- 
color  sketch.  To  the  west  lies  the  town,  huddled 
in  the  valley  and  almost  hidden  by  trees;  while  the 
distant  prospect  consists  of  the  steep  slope  and  long 
extension  of  West  Hill.    East  Hill  comprises  the 


The  Campus  29 

flat  and  slope  on  which  the  university  is  situated. 
The  fiat  itself  falls  away  southward  toward  the  Six 
Mile  Valley  but  rises  gently  eastward  as  part  of 
the  broad,  upper  Cascadilla  Valley.  In  the  distance 
the  Cascadilla  Valley  merges  itself  into  a  tumble  of 
forest-covered  hills, but  nearer  at  hand,  on  the  east, 
is  the  wide  domain  that  has  become  the  particular 
province  of  the  Agricultural  College  of  the  uni- 
versity. The  graded  expanse  of  Alumni  Field, 
with  Bacon  Hall,  the  baseball  cage  building,  and 
Schoellkopf  Memorial  Training  House,  each  occu- 
pying part  of  its  area,  is  also  in  the  scene  toward  the 
east;  though  this  part  of  the  view  is  cut  off  in  part 
by  the  high  sky-line  of  the  roofs  of  the  Veterinary 
College  buildings  and  the  huge  Drill  Hall.  To  the 
northeast  is  seen  a  cluster  of  buildings  quite  near 
at  hand,  of  which  the  most  prominent  is  Goldwin 
Smith  Hall,  which  faces  the  quadrangle.  Beyond 
this  a  great  expanse  of  level  country  extends  to 
the  horizon,  a  region  of  farms  pleasantly  dotted 
with  forest  and  field  and  marked  here  and  there  by 
a  tall,  isolated,  green  pine  tree.  But  the  view,  to 
the  north  and  northwTest,  of  the  unruffled  reach  of 
Cayuga  Lake,  shimmering  blue  in  the  sun,  is  the 
best  of  all.  The  stretch  of  water  along  the  west 
side  of  the  lake  from  the  lighthouse  to  the  point 
where  the  bend  of  the  shore  line  cuts  off  from 
view  its  farther  reach  northwestward,  is  the  course 
used  by  the  long  famous  Cornell  crews  in  their 
spring  and  autumn  training. 

Descending  from  the  tower,  after  having  ori- 
ented ourselves  from  so  lordly  a  vantage  point,  we 


30  Concerning  Cornell 

renew  our  exploration  of  the  campus  with  a  visit 
to  the  University  Library  itself.  On  the  bronze 
tablet  set  in  the  south  wall  of  the  outer  entrance  is 
an  inscription: 

THE  GOOD  SHE  TRIED  TO  DO 
SHALL  STAND  AS  IF  'TWERE  DONE 

GOD  FINISHES  THE  WORK 
BY  NOBLE  SOULS  BEGUN 

which  gives  a  hint  of  the  interesting  history  of  the 
structure.  Miss  Jennie  McGraw,  who  gave  the 
original  chime,  married  Professor  Willard  Fiske. 
On  her  early  death,  in  1881,  it  was  found  that  Mrs. 
Fiske  had  bequeathed  a  large  part  of  her  fortune 
to  the  university  for  the  founding  and  endowment 
of  a  library.  This  will  was  contested  and  her  im- 
mediate purpose  was  defeated  when  Cornell  lost 
the  suit.  At  this  juncture  Henry  W.  Sage,  her 
friend,  came  forward  with  a  gift  that  made  possible 
both  the  building  and  endowment  of  the  library. 
To  this  fulfillment  of  Mrs.  Fiske's  wishes,  through 
the  generosity  of  Mr.  Sage,  the  inscription  refers. 
It  is  worthy  of  mention  here  that  the  university 
eventually  received,  under  the  will  of  Professor 
Fiske,  a  sum  of  over  one-half  million  dollars  for  the 
use  of  the  library,  the  purpose  to  which  his  wife 
had  intended  that  her  fortune  should  be  devoted. 
The  library  itself  is  rich  in  a  variety  of  literary, 
historical  and  art  treasures  and  much  time  might 
be  interestingly  spent  viewing  these.  The  collec- 
tions of  illuminated  medieval  manuscripts,  speci- 
mens of  early  printing  and  first  editions  of  famous 


The  Campus  31 

books  that  are  displayed  in  the  Library  always 
attract  attention.  The  admirably  arranged  main 
reading  room  accommodates  over  two  hundred 
students  and  contains  a  selected  library  of  some 
eight  thousand  volumes  of  general  interest,  access- 
ible to  any  one.  Above  the  shelves  hang  portraits  of 
famous  lecturers  and  benefactors.  Espec'ally  nota- 
ble among  these  is  the  large  portrait  of  the  founder 
of  the  university,  Ezra  Cornell.  In  the  reference 
room,  adjacent  to  the  reading  room,  are  kept  the 
encyclopedias,  atlases,  statistical  and  bibliographi- 
cal volumes  that  afford  the  first  clews  to  the  facts 
in  various  fields  of  knowledge.  The  north  side  of 
the  building  is  given  over  to  seminary  rooms,  with 
books  on  special  subjects,  and  to  the  housing  of  the 
White  Historical  Library,  a  wonderful  collection. 
Many  interesting  volumes  are  on  display  in  the 
show  cases  among  its  shelves  and  here,  also,  are 
preserved  numerous  significant  relics  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  university.  Of  only  second- 
ary importance  to  the  White  Historical  Library  are 
the  special  Icelandic,  Petrarch  and  Dante  collec- 
tions of  books.  In  the  whole  library  there  are  now 
over  six  hundred  thousand  volumes.  Thus,  with  re- 
gard merely  to  the  number  of  books,  it  is  the  fourth 
largest  university  library  in  the  United  States.  Its 
relative  worth  may  not,  however,  be  judged  by 
mere  size.  Far  more  important  is  the  quality  of 
content.  In  this  respect  the  Cornell  Library  ranks 
very  high.  Most  new  purchases  are  made  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  faculty  experts  on  the  vari- 
ous subjects.    This  system  insures  that  the  best  of 


32  Concerning  Cornell 

available  new  and  old  publications,  only,  find  a 
place  on  its  shelves.  Thus  the  library  is  a  potent 
factor  in  securing  and  keeping  many  professors  at 
Cornell,  who,  except  for  its  scope  and  quality 
would  be  attracted  by  higher  salaries  to  institutions 
where  such  excellent  library  facilities  for  investiga- 
tion are  not  available.  This  great  storehouse  of 
human  knowledge  is  safeguarded  by  fireproof 
stacks,  constructed  of  glass,  iron  and  stone.  A 
visit  to  the  periodical  reading-room  in  the  south 
basement  of  the  building,  will  be  well  worth  while 
to  those  interested  in  current  technical  literature. 

Emerging  from  the  library  and  continuing 
northward  along  the  sidewalk  we  come  next  to 
Morrill,  then  to  McGraw  and  then  to  White  Hall. 
These  are  the  oldest  buildings  on  the  campus,  are 
similar  in  architecture  and  are  built  of  local  stone, 
quarried  on  the  campus  itself.  Originally  it  was 
planned  to  have  the  university  face  the  west,  with 
a  main  highway  in  front  and  the  quadrangle  at 
the  back  of  these  first  buildings.  The  ivy -covered 
walls  of  blue-gray  stone  and  the  uniformity  of  de- 
sign make  this  row  of  three  old  buildings  perhaps 
the  most  satisfying  structural  unit  on  the  campus, 
even  though  foot  traffic  now  all  passes,  and  stud- 
ents enter  them,  at  the  rear. 

Morrill  Hall  was  the  first  university  building 
erected  on  the  quadrangle.  It  now  houses  the  uni- 
versity business  offices  on  the  two  lower  floors.  On 
the  upper  floors  are  laboratories  and  classrooms  for 
the  study  of  experimental  psychology.  These  con- 
tain some  interesting  apparatus  for  determining  and 


z 


The  Campus  33 

recording  sensation.  In  the  President's  office  ;s  a 
model  of  the  complete  scheme  of  the  new  Resi- 
dential Halls,  which  we  find  to  be  fascinatingly 
beautiful  and  imposing  even  in  miniature.  The 
university  Co-operative  Store,  familiarly  the  "Co- 
op," is  located  in  the  basement  of  Morrill  Hall. 
Between  Morrill  and  McGraw  Halls  is  the  statue 
of  the  Founder,  Ezra  Cornell,  facing  that  of  his 
coadjutor,  Andrew  D.  White,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  quadrangle.  Going  behind  the  statue  there 
is  revealed  a  magnificent  prospect  of  the  valley 
which  may  be  viewed  comfortably  from  the  seat 
carved  in  the  glacial  boulder  that  is  a  memorial  to 
Professor  R.  S.  Tarr.  In  McGraw  Hall  are  housed 
the  departments  of  geology  and  zoology,  as  well  as 
so  much  of  a  natural  history  museum  as  Cornell 
possesses  at  present.  Entering  McGraw  by  the 
first  door  to  which  we  come  we  note  a  huge  slab  of 
Connecticut  Triassic  sandstone  mounted  on  the 
side  wall  of  the  hallway.  This  contains  gigantic 
fossil  footprints  of  the  three-toed  Dinosaur,  Bron- 
tozoum  giganteum,  terrible,  thundering,  giant  liz- 
ard; one  of  the  great,  biped  reptiles  of  Mesozoic 
geologic  time;  an  age  the  remoteness  of  which  is 
measured  by  some  millions  of  years.  In  one  of  the 
footprints  may  be  noted  the  delicate  mold  of  the 
scales  of  a  ganoid  fish  on  which  the  reptile  trod,  all 
those  unthinkable  ages  ago. 

The  geologic  lecture  room  is  on  the  left  at  the 
end  of  the  hall.  Above  it  is  the  laboratory  for 
physical  geography,  replete  with  relief  models  and 
pictures  of  various  interesting  regions  of  the  earth's 


34  Concerning  Cornell 

surface.  The  middle  entrance  of  McGraw  opens 
on  a  stairway  leading  to  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  also  on  the  second  floor.  Here  are  dis- 
played a  great  variety  of  stuffed  animal  forms,  es- 
pecially birds,  also  a  collection  of  human  brains  and 
monstrosities  of  animal  life,  such  as  three-legged 
and  two-headed  calves.  The  specimen  of  greatest 
interest  is  an  Egyptian  mummy,  divested  of  all 
its  wrappings,  enabling  one  to  gaze  upon  the  form 
and  figure  of  a  man  who  lived  his  mortal  span 
thousands  of  years  ago.  At  the  north  end  of  the 
museum  a  door  opens  into  the  zoology  lecture  room 
and  laboratories.  The  geological  faculty  has 
charge  of  the  seismograph  or  earthquake  recording 
machine  which  is  located  in  the  basement  of  the 
south  end  of  McGraw.  An  understanding  of  phy- 
sics is  required  to  appreciate  the  working  of  this 
instrument  in  detail,  but  we  can  see  the  smoke- 
blackened  drum  on  which  the  pen  traces  the  tre- 
mors of  the  rocks  when  an  earthquake  is  in  progress. 
The  lower  floors  of  White  Hall  are  occupied  by 
the  department  of  mathematics  while  the  two  up- 
per floors  are  given  over  to  the  library,  recreation, 
lecture,  display  and  drawing  rooms  of  the  College 
of  Architecture.  At  this  point  it  may  be  well  to 
clear  up  a  possible  misconception.  Although  the 
College  of  Architecture,  as  such,  has  only  a  part  of 
White  Hall  for  its  own  particular  studies  the  teach- 
ing of  its  students  is  by  no  means  restricted  to  these 
quarters.  For  instance,  the  architects  study  ma- 
terials of  construction  with  the  civil  engineers  in 
Lincoln  Hall,  a  building  devoted  primarily  to  the 


The  Campus  35 

engineers'  work;  botli  engineers  and  arts  students 
are  taught  geology  in  McGraw,  and  so  on.  The 
limited  funds  of  the  university  do  not  permit  of 
duplication  of  either  equipment  or  teaching  staff 
for  especial  needs,  consequently  there  is  co-opera- 
tion in  teaching  between  all  departments  and  col- 
leges. Similarly,  to  promote  efficiency  and  econ- 
omy in  university  administration  and  instruction, 
the  engineering  colleges  were  combined  during  the 
academic  year  1920-21  under  unit  management 
and  with  provision  for  uniform  schedules  for  all 
underclassmen  in  these  branches. 

The  drafting  rooms  that  occupy  the  whole  upper 
floor  of  White  Hall  interest  us  because  of  their  ad- 
mirable convenience  of  arrangement.  Below  these, 
on  the  third  floor  we  find  the  reference  library  and 
the  exhibition  rooms  of  the  college.  This  special 
library  is  a  good  place  to  spend  a  whole  afternoon 
in  a  merely  cursory  inspection  of  the  hundreds  of 
finely  illustrated  books  on  architectural  subjects 
that  it  contains,  or  in  glancing  over  the  many  color 
and  photographic  reproductions  of  the  world's 
masterpieces  of  art  that  are  on  file,  as  both  books 
and  reproductions  are  readily  accessible  to  the 
visitor.  Occasionally  the  two  large  exhibition 
rooms  at  the  other  end  of  the  floor  are  used  for 
some  special  display  of  art  subjects,  but  we  are 
more  apt  to  find  their  walls  hung  with  specimens  of 
the  students'  own  work  in  design,  drawings  from 
life  or  water-color  sketches.  It  will  be  apparent 
from  the  nature  of  this  work  that  the  artistic 
studies  of  the  architect  require  that  there  be  less 


36  Concerning  Cornell 

formality  in  his  instruction  than  is  the  case  in  other 
branches  of  learning,  for  there  must  be  a  certain 
amount  of  waiting  for  inspiration  when  one  is  en- 
gaged in  creative  effort.  Thus  the  architects, 
while  at  work  on  some  problem,  commonly  alter- 
nate between  hours  of  feverish  activity  and  periods 
of  relaxation  when  ideas  fail.  Accordingly  we  need 
not  be  surprised  at  the  sight  of  a  small  recreation 
room  furnished  with  a  piano,  or  to  learn  that  the 
freshmen  are  required  to  change  the  needles  and 
the  records  on  the  college  victrola.  In  part  because 
of  such  social  spirit,  though  also  because  the  work 
requires  a  large  measure  of  co-operative  sugges- 
tion and  criticism  for  attainment  of  the  best  results, 
men  of  the  College  of  Architecture  have  bonds  of 
comradeship  stronger  than  exist  in  any  other 
college  on  the  campus.  The  basement  rooms  of 
White  Hall  were  formerly  used  as  workshops  and 
for  the  storage  of  tools  and  supplies  by  the  plumb- 
ers and  electricians  employed  by  the  university. 
But  pressure  for  space  when  the  department  of 
landscape  art  was  transferred  from  the  College  of 
Agriculture  to  that  of  Architecture  made  it  neces- 
sary to  convert  the  basement  work  rooms  into  class 
rooms.  These  quarters  are  cramped  and  none  too 
well  lighted,  but  are  not  unattractive  as  remodelled. 
The  architects,  and  their  associates  in  landscape  art 
and  fine  arts,  are  planning  for  a  building  adequate 
to  their  needs  which  they  hope  to  see  erected  on 
the  site  between  Sage  College  and  Stimson  Hall. 

Judging  from  what  we  have  already  encoun- 
tered it  is  quite  evident  that,  while  college  buildings 


The  Campus  37 

are  not  primarily  museums,  each  one  nevertheless 
has  a  new  variety  of  interesting  content.  Therefore 
we  feel  that  every  one  of  those  still  awaiting  us  has 
possibilities  and  must  not  be  passed  by  without  at 
least  inquiring  as  to  its  use.  Thus,  Franklin  Hall, 
named  after  the  first  American  electrician,  as  we 
are  informed  by  the  medallion  portrait  and  inscrip- 
tion over  the  door,  is  an  especial  province  of  the 
department  of  electrical  engineering.  In  the  base- 
ment of  this  building  are  laboratories  for  research 
experimentation  with  electrical  machinery,  on  the 
floors  above  lecture  and  drawing  rooms.  The  top 
floor,  however,  provides  studios  for  the  free  hand 
drawing,  life  and  modeling  classes  of  the  architects. 
We  find  ourselves  in  typical  artists'  quarters  when 
we  enter  these  rooms.  Easels,  curtain  partitions, 
a  great  collection  of  casts  from  the  best  periods  of 
the  sculptor's  art,  unfinished  and  finished  work, 
both  drawings  and  paintings;  all  contribute  to  the 
ensemble.  It  would  seem  that  the  Cornell  archi- 
tects working  in  these  studios  and  living  amidst  the 
varied  natural  beauty  of  the  university's  site  must 
be  keyed  up  continually  to  a  fine  frenzy  of  inspira- 
tion. 

Franklin  Hall  is  the  second  from  the  west  of  the 
row  of  buildings  that  marks  off  the  northern  end  of 
the  quadrangle.  While  walking  along  its  front 
toward  the  building  at  the  west  end  of  the  row, 
Morse  Hall,  we  should  devote  at  least  passing 
notice  to  the  medallion  portraits  of  famous  electri- 
cians and  physicists  that  are  set  in  its  walls. 
Only  a  few  steps  carry  us  from  Franklin  Hall  to  the 


38  Concerning  Cornell 

front  entrance  of  what  remains  of  Morse  Hall, 
where  all  branches  of  chemistry  were  formerly 
taught.  On  February  13,  1916,  practically  the 
whole  interior  of  Morse  Hall  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
What  remains  of  the  structure  is  being  used  for 
store  rooms  and  as  an  office  and  class  rooms  by  the 
professor  of  music. 

But  we  may  next,  quite  appropriately,  go  east 
across  the  north  end  of  the  quadrangle  and  visit 
the  Baker  Laboratory  of  Chemistry  that  replaces 
Morse  Hall  and  was  first  used  in  1923-24.  This 
new  laboratory  occupies  the  commanding  site 
above  East  Avenue  where  President  Schurman's 
house  formerly  stood.  It  is  an  imposing  square 
structure  with  walls  of  local  sandstone.  The  ma- 
sonry courses  are  laid  to  show  to  best  advantage 
the  coloring  and  the  smooth  natural  faces  of  the 
weathered  joint  planes  that  are  a  characteristic 
geological  feature  of  the  rock  in  the  Ithaca  region. 
The  effect  is  altogether  pleasing,  and  is  similar  to 
that  achieved  in  the  Drill  Hall,  the  new  Residential 
Halls  and  the  Straight  Memorial  Union  by  use  of 
the  same  material.  The  new  laboratory  is  the  gift 
of  George  Fisher  Baker  of  New  York.  It  cost  one 
and  a  half  million  dollars  to  erect  and  equip.  It 
was  the  donor's  wish  that  excellence  and  complete- 
ness of  equipment  should  be  the  special  end  to  be 
striven  after  in  planning  the  building.  This  ob- 
jective appears  to  have  been  very  fully  realized. 

It  would  require  much  space  of  printed  page  to 
enumerate,  only,  the  many  separate  laboratories, 
lecture  and  balance  rooms  the  building  contains. 


41 


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ir! 


nw 


^      m 

ft 


The  Campus  39 

In  some  of  the  larger  laboratories,  where  the  ele- 
mentary classes  are  taught,  as  many  as  three  hun- 
dred students  can  be  accommodated  readily  at 
one  time.  In  some  of  the  smaller  laboratories  for 
special  kinds  of  investigation,  into  which  we  peer, 
are  mysterious  pieces  of  apparatus  that  we  may  not 
even  pretend  to  understand.  The  one  for  chemical 
microscopy  is  especially  enticing.  We  get  a  sense 
of  the  completeness  and  adequateness  of  the  build- 
ing on  viewing  the  large  special  library,  the  mu- 
seum, and  the  main  lecture  room  that  seats  five 
hundred.  We  also  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
design  and  fitting  of  a  building  for  chemical  inves- 
tigation is  a  vast  problem.  Behind  the  lecture  desk 
is  a  veritable  battery  of  stop  cocks  for  supplying 
different  gases,  as  well  as  a  maze  of  switches  con- 
necting with  electrical  currents  of  varying  in- 
tensity. Thus  practically  any  kind  of  chemical 
experiment  can  be  demonstrated  before  a  large 
class.  The  lectures  in  elementary  chemistry  of- 
ten have  both  a  popular  and  spectacular  interest. 
Visitors  are  privileged  to  attend  single  lectures  in 
most  university  courses.  They  should  enter  the 
lecture  room  before  ten  minutes  after  the  even 
hour  in  order  to  avoid  disturbing  a  class  in  session. 
It  must  be  admitted,  notwithstanding  the  varied 
and  interesting  content,  that  outdoors  is  sweeter 
than  a  chemistry  laboratory,  especially  when  a 
view  is  to  be  had  such  as  is  spread  before  us  now 
as  we  return  to  the  site  of  Morse  Hall  and  stand 
at  the  edge  of  the  terrace  level  on  which  the 
quadrangle  is  situated.     The  steep  slope  of  a  de- 


40  Concerning  Cornell 

scent  just  beyond  enables  us  to  overlook  miles  of 
country  both  to  the  south  and  west  from  our  view- 
point on  the  entrance  steps.  Below  is  spread  the 
wide  floor  of  the  upper  end  of  Cayuga  Valley;  the 
church  spires  and  tops  of  the  taller  buildings  of  the 
city  of  Ithaca,  well  named  the  Forest  City,  just 
peep  above  the  sea  of  trees  that  covers  nearly  all  of 
its  expanse.  In  the  farther  distance  we  look  up  the 
narrower  Inlet  Valley.  The  lines  of  the  hills,  in 
wide  perspective,  carry  our  vision  to  the  far  limit 
of  the  horizon  from  the  west  around  to  the  south. 

Every  part  of  the  broad  panorama  is  beautiful. 
The  gentler  slopes  of  the  hills  are  marked  off  in 
broad  acres  of  farmland,  each  different  crop  having 
its  own  peculiar  tint  of  yellow  or  green.  Dark  lines 
of  woodlands  locate  the  courses  of  the  smaller  tribu- 
tary streams  that  flow  to  the  larger  valley  at  our 
feet.  As  the  cloud  forms  in  procession  hurry  past 
the  sun,  already  west  of  the  meridian,  the  purple 
shadows,  endlessly  changing,  move  majestically 
across  the  landscape  completing  one  picture  while 
making  another.  It  is  an  outlook  that  never  tires, 
while  stirring  within  us  a  vague  desire  to  wander 
over  the  slopes  of  the  hills  and  to  seek  out  their  far 
distant  notches  to  see  what  lies  beyond. 

Such  is  the  scene  that  will  always  greet  the  eyes 
of  the  students  who  are  housed  in  the  new  men's 
dormitories  that  now,  in  part  completed,  occupy 
the  slope  just  below  us.  So  fortunate  a  site  on 
which  to  build  residential  halls  is  rarely  found. 
The  great  field  which  is  a  part  of  the  campus,  is  of 
ample  area  for  the  buildings.    The  descent  of  some 


The  Campus 


41 


sixty-five  feet  in  its  width,  while  making  the  archi- 
tectural problem  difficult,  insured  that  its  solution 
would  be  picturesque.  The  halls,  Baker  Tower, 
North  and  South  Baker  Halls  and  Founders'  Hall, 
and  others  already  done,  and  the  connecting  steps 
are  built  of  local  stone  which  brings  them  into  har- 
mony with  the  three  older  university  buildings  on 
the  level  above.  Altogether  the  scheme  is  most 
commendable.  The  need  of  such  residential  halls 
at  Cornell  is  acute.  Of  nearly  five  thousand  stu- 
dents who  are  now  attending  Cornell  about  fifteen 
hundred  live  in  fraternity  houses,  over  three 
thousand  others  must  shift  as  best  they  can  in 
private  rooming  and  boarding-houses.  In  the 
spring  of  1914  the  gift  from  George  F.  Baker  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  of 
the  first  of  these  new  residential  halls  was  an- 
nounced; further  gifts  of  this  generous  donor  and 
alumni  funds  have  provided  for  the  buildings  now 
existing.  Gifts  for  several 
more  have  already  been 
made  by  other  donors. 
The  architects  say  that 
no  college  possesses  a 
more  stimulating  oppor- 
tunity for  obtaining  beau- 
tiful architectural  results, 
and  that  this  residential 
tract  promises  to  become 
one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished scholastic  groups 
in  the  United  States. 

ENTRANCE,     BAKER    TOWER 


Concerning  Cornell 

On  the  terrace  level 
to  the  west  and  below 
Morse  Hall  the  Chi  Psi 
Fraternity  House  rises 
from  the  site  of  the  fa- 
mous McGraw-Fiske 
Mansion  which  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  on  Decem- 
ber 7,  1906.  The  present 
building  is  a  handsome 
structure.  Moreover  its 
lines  and  general  contour 
are  reminiscent  of  its 
predecessor,  but  both  in 
imposing  exterior  and 
beauty  of  interior  it  falls 
far  short  of  the  original 
mansion  which  cost  approximately  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  This  was  built  in 
1879-80  for  Mrs.  Jennie  McGraw  Fiske  who  died 
in  1881  without  having  occupied  the  house.  Until 
1896  the  building  remained  untenanted.  Then  it 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  Chi  Psi  fraternity 
and  was  occupied  by  the  members  of  that  organi- 
zation at  the  time  of  the  fire.  The  original  mansion 
was  modeled  after  a  famous  French  chateau  near 
Blois.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  thought  and  money 
lavished  on  its  construction  it  may  be  noted  that 
the  carved  woodwork  interiors  were  imported  from 
Italy  and  that  mosaic  workers,  the  most  skilful 
to  be  had,  were  brought  from  Rome  and  Venice  to 
give  the  best  expression  of  their  art  to  its  completed 


IN    BAKER    COURT 


The  Campus  43 

decoration.  To  native  Ithacans  the  mansion  was 
always  a  wonder  place  and  its  prominent  position 
made  it  a  conspicuous  landmark  for  many  years. 

We  now  retrace  our  steps  past  Morse  and 
Franklin  Halls  and  continue  east  along  the  front 
of  the  main  building  of  Sibley  College  of  Mechani- 
cal Engineering  and  the  Mechanic  Arts.  We  find 
only  a  monotonous  repetition  of  drafting  and  reci- 
tation rooms  in  the  west  and  east  wings  of  the 
building  but  under  its  central  dome  is  the  Sibley 
Auditorium  and,  on  the  floor  below  the  Audito- 
rium, a  lounging  and  reading  room  for  the  Sibley 
students  with  the  Sibley  special  reference  library 
adjacent.  But  the  thing  for  us  to  see  is  the  little 
mechanism  in  the  glass  case  on  the  northwest  wall 
of  the  reading  room.  It  is  the  original  telegraph 
instrument  used  in  sending  the  first  telegraphic 
message:  "WThat  Hath  God  Wrought?"  from 
Baltimore  to  Washington.  The  practical  success 
of  this  invention  was  due  largely  to  Ezra  Cornell's 
scheme  for  stringing  the  wires  on  poles  after  the 
original  attempt  to  lay  underground  cables  had 
failed  because  of  defective  insulation.  Its  financial 
success,  also,  was  assured  eventually  through  the 
establishment  of  the  W'estern  Union  Telegraph 
Company  for  the  organized  use  of  the  invention. 
In  this  enterprise  Ezra  Cornell  amassed  his  fortune, 
the  money  that  subsequently  made  possible  the 
founding  of  Cornell  University.  This  happy  out- 
come of  one  invention  is  in  distinct  contrast  with 
the  tragic  failure  of  another,  of  which  the  elaborate 
mechanism  that  stands  in  the  obscurity  of  the 


44  Concerning  Cornell 

opposite  corner  of  the  room  from  the  telegraph 
instrument  is  a  monument.  It  is  a  machine  for 
setting  type,  marvelously  intricate  and  complicated 
in  design,  probably  mechanically  inefficient  but 
excellent  in  its  detailed  workmanship.  It  was 
destined  to  failure  at  the  moment  of  its  first  com- 
pletion because  at  the  same  time  the  much  simpler 
type-casting  machines,  now  so  generally  used,  came 
on  the  market.  A  large  part  of  Mark  Twain's  for- 
tune is  said  to  have  been  lost  in  the  development 
of  the  ponderous  ingenuity  we  here  see  relegated  to 
a  dusty  corner,  and  no  doubt  the  whole  life  work 
of  its  inventor  as  well. 

Next  to  the  east  of  the  main  building  of  Sibley 
College  we  come  to  Rand  Hall,  planned  to  be  the 
first  of  a  group  that  is  to  extend  westward  in  a  row 
replacing  the  old  shops,  for  Sibley,  like  other  col- 
leges of  the  university,  has  outlived  its  earlier 
accommodations.  Rand  Hall  is  a  modern  shop 
building,  its  walls  are  little  more  than  frames  for 
huge  areas  of  window  glass.  Instead  of  being  dark 
and  smelly,  as  factories  have  been  in  the  past,  its 
interior  is  always  flooded  by  light  and  air.  In  this 
respect,  therefore,  Rand  Hall,  Mrs.  Florence  Os- 
good Rand  Lang's  gift  in  1911,  is  in  sharp  contrast 
with  the  older  Sibley  shops  that  we  will  visit  next. 
The  first  floor  of  Rand  is  occupied  by  the  machine 
shop,  the  second  floor  is  replete  with  dynamos, 
rheostats  and  transformers ;  it  is  the  main  labora- 
tory of  the  electrical  engineers.  On  the  third  floor 
is  the  wood  shop,  where  all  kinds  of  woodworking 
are  taught.    In  the  machine  shop  is  a  motto  board, 


The  Campus  45 

quoting  Robert  Stevenson,  which  gives  the  key- 
note of  the  kind  of  training  that  Sibley  stands  for: 
"It  is  necessary  to  educate  an  engineer  in  the  work 
shop.  That  is  the  education  emphatically,  which 
is  calculated  to  render  the  engineer  most  intelli- 
gent, most  useful  and  fullest  of  resources  in  times 
of  difficulty."  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  in  the 
machine  shop  of  Sibley,  the  college  undergraduate 
gets  equivalent  practical  experience  in  almost  as 
few  hours  as  it  requires  months  on  the  part  of  the 
apprentice  in  the  industrial  world. 

Across  the  roadway  behind  Rand  Hall  is  a 
small  frame  building  in  which  practice  in  foundry 
and  forge  work  is  given.  All  such  classes  develop 
sureness  of  eye  and  hand.  It  is  amusing  to  see  the 
Sibley  students  at  the  end  of  a  term  lugging  huge 
iron  log  chains  to  their  rooms,  so  proud  are  they 
of  their  handicraft.  But  in  the  experimental  en- 
gineering laboratories,  just  opposite  the  forge 
room,  tests  are  given  that  require  the  application  of 
intelligence  more  than  muscle.  The  experiments 
assigned  demand  a  broad  basic  knowledge  of  math- 
ematics, physics  and  chemistry  for  their  acceptable 
performance.  Accordingly  such  experiments  are 
deferred  until  the  junior  and  senior  years.  As  we 
pass  through  the  connecting  rooms  on  the  lower 
floors  of  the  two  long  shop  buildings,  going  from 
east  to  west,  we  meet  successively  with  apparatus 
for  experimentation  on  the  fatigue  strength  of 
metals,  by  bending  a  bar  back  and  forth  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  times  until  it  finally  breaks;  great 
machines  to  test  the  compressional  and  tensional 


46 


Concerning  Cornell 


strength  of  different  materials;  a  room  full  of  small 
engines  for  trying  out  various  valve  settings; 
another  with  air  compressors;  then  a  gas  engine 
laboratory;  next  to  that  a  series  of  large  Corliss 
steam  engines  and  apparatus  for  determining  their 
power,  and,  in  the  end  room  on  the  west,  a  large 
refrigerating  machine.  On  the  upper  floor  is  a  fuel 
testing  laboratory  and  in  the  basement  apparatus 
for  measuring  the  flow  of  water  through  weirs  and 
nozzles.  Between  the  main  building  of  Sibley  in 
front,  and  the  shops  to  the  rear  is  a  large  boiler 
plant  used  for  supplying  steam  to  run  the  various 
engines  and  machines  as  well  as  for  tests  on  the 
efficiency  of  boilers.  From  all  this  it  will  appear 
that  a  Sibley  student  must  needs  acquire  quite  a  lot 
of  practical  experience  before  securing  a  diploma. 


THE  SUSPENSION  BRIDGE  OVER  FALL  CREEK 

Passing  out  of  the  experimental  laboratories 
we  get  some  fresh  air,  and  a  new  and  exceptionally 
good  view  of  Cayuga  Lake,  before  descending  the 


The  Campus  47 

cinder  path  to  the  suspension  foot-bridge  across  the 
Fall  Creek  Gorge  that  yawns  before  us.  Standing 
on  the  swinging  bridge  we  get  an  adequate  con- 
ception of  the  imposing  proportions  of  this  chasm 
from  the  free  view  up  and  down  its  length  that 
this  position  affords.  Up-stream  from  the  bridge, 
over  a  hundred  feet  below  us,  is  the  swimming  pool 
much  resorted  to  by  both  men  and  women  students 
on  warm  spring  afternoons  and  during  the  hot  days 
of  the  summer  session,  when  it  is  especially  popular. 
On  the  floor  of  the  gorge  beside  the  curved  water- 
fall is  the  university  power  plant.  This  and  the 
swimming  pool  we  attain  by  a  path  descending  to 
stairs  on  the  far  side  of  the  gorge  and  find  water 
wheels  and  generators  capable  of  developing  over 
one  thousand  horse  power.  As  the  water  supply 
is  not  adequate  to  develop  so  much  energy  at  all 
seasons  the  authorities  are  at  present  planning  to 
build  a  great  storage  reservoir  a  number  of  miles 
up-stream. 

\Yhile  standing  on  the  foot-bridge  we  noted  a 
great  square  tower  of  red  brick,  rising,  castle-like 
above  the  trees  on 
the  far  side  of  the 
head  of  the  gorge. 
That  is  the  topmost 
part  of  Prudence 
Risley  Hall,  the  new 
dormitory  for  women 
students,  recently 
completed  at  a   cost 

•  ,  1_  J  J        THE    CASTLE-LIKE    PROPORTIONS 

of    three    hundred  of  risley  hall 


48  Concerning  Cornell 

thousand  dollars;  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Russell  Sage. 
We  approach  it  from  the  rear,  following  the  road- 
way that  runs  parallel  to  the  gorge;  and  note  with 
pleasure  the  effective  architecture  of  the  structure 
as  presented  from  this  view  point  with  the  dining- 
hall  in  the  foreground.  Passing  around  to  the 
front  we  find  the  sweep  of  its  concave  arc  equally 
imposing.  On  entering  and  inspecting  its  invit- 
ing halls  and  the  beautifully  decorated  dining  hall 
interior,  we  feel  that  the  women  students  are  cer- 
tainly pleasantly  housed  in  this  building.  The  spec- 
ifications for  this  new  dormitory  called  for  sunlight 
in  every  room  and  this  has  been  achieved.  It  was 
planned  to  have  the  senior  women  students  and 
sophomores,  sister  classes,  occupy  Prudence  Risley 
Hall,  while  juniors  and  freshmen  were  to  reside  in 
Sage  College  dormitory.  This  plan  would  operate 
to  prevent  the  development  of  any  feeling  of  supe- 
riority on  the  part  of  those  who  might  otherwise 
be  permanently  established  in  the  more  modern 
dormitory.  But  as  Sage  College  and  Prudence 
Risley  Hall  together  are  inadequate  for  housing 
even  a  majority  of  the  women  students,  plans  are 
being  made  for  the  erection  of  other  dormitories 
and  sorority  houses  on  the  university  acres  lying 
north  of  Beebe  Lake  and  opposite  Prudence  Risley 
Hall,  a  pleasing  and  secluded  site  on  the  east  end 
of  which  the  new  Astronomical  Observatory  stands. 
Prudence  Risley  dormitory  marks  the  begin- 
ning of  an  extension  of  the  campus  beyond  the 
north  and  south  confines  previously  marked  off  by 
Cascadilla  Creek  and  Fall  Creek.    Turning  south- 


Sibley  Dome 


Rand  Hall 


Students  at  Work  in  the  Sibley  Mac  mine  Shop 


The  Campus  49 

ward  toward  this  main  area  of  the  university  do- 
main we  recross  Fall  Creek  on  the  iron  arch  bridge 
that  spans  it  at  a  point  where  the  gorge  is  very 
deep.  Looking  up  stream  wre  see  Triphammer 
Falls,  and,  to  the  right  of  it,  the  Hydraulic  Labora- 
tory of  the  Civil  Engineers.  With  reference  to 
tests  on  the  flow  of  water  under  pressure  head  this 
laboratory  is  unique  among  similar  ones  at  other 
engineering  colleges  because  of  the  great  fall  that 
is  available.  As  a  consequence  researches  having 
a  very  important  bearing  on  hydro-electric  power 
engineering  have  been  conducted  here. 


TRIPHAMMER    FALLS    AND    THE    HYDRAULIC    LABORATORY 


Above  the  pretty,  step-cascades  of  Triphammer 
Falls  a  concrete  dam  holds  back  the  placid  expanse 
of  water  that  forms  Beebe  Lake.  This  lake  is 
another  of  the  blessings  of  university  life  at  Cornell 


50  Concerning  Cornell 

as  it  affords  a  most  convenient  center  for  skating 
and  tobogganing  in  winter.  Its  practical  utility  as 
a  power  water  reservoir  is  thus  supplemented  by 
service  as  handmaiden  to  sport.  Lying  in  a  shel- 
tered amphitheatre  between  steep  hills  it  freezes 
over  readily  and  smoothly  after  the  first  few  days 
of  winter  cold  and  usually  remains  ice-covered  for 
several  months.  Its  expanse  is  amply  sufficient 
to  accommodate  hundreds  of  skaters  besides  pro- 
viding room  for  a  hockey  rink  on  which  the  uni- 
versity team  plays  its  home  games.  A  season 
ticket  arrangement  provides  funds  for  keeping 
the  surface  clear  of  snow  and  for  the  labor  inci- 
dental to  icing  the  long  slope  of  the  steel  tobog- 
gan slide  that  descends  from  above  the  hill  on 
the  south  side  of  the  lake. 

In  January,  1923,  a  winter  sports  house,  "The 
Johnny  Parson  Club,"  was  opened.  This  is  an 
attractive  stucco  building  located  on  the  north 
shore  of  Beebe  in  which,  on  the  entrance  level, 
is  provided  a  restaurant  seating  ninety  persons, 
and  below,  at  the  lake  level,  a  warming  room  that 
will  accommodate  about  two  hundred  skaters. 

On  Saturday  afternoons  in  winter,  if  skating 
is  good,  and  the  weather  just  a  wee  bit  mild  and 
sunshiny,  one  is  always  sure  of  finding  a  great 
crowd  assembled  at  Beebe.  The  graceful  evolu- 
tions of  the  skaters  furnish  a  pretty  sight,  one  that 
invites  even  the  most  sluggish  soul  to  participa- 
tion. But  first  and  foremost  of  the  winter  joys 
at  Beebe  is  the  toboggan  slide.  The  slide  at  Cornell 
differs  from  those  in  many  other  places  in  that  it 


H  • ' .  • 


The  Campus  51 

is  not  banked  for  the  length  of  the  course.  On 
leaving  the  incline,  the  toboggans  shoot  out  upon 
the  level  expanse  of  the  lake  ice,  and,  if  the  condi- 
tions are  favorable,  have  acquired  momentum 
enough  to  carry  them  across  it  to  the  far  shore.  It 
is,  therefore,  incumbent  on  the  steersman,  perched 
precariously  in  the  rear,  to  keep  the  flying  machine 


THE    WAITING     LINE    AT    THE    TOBOGGAN    SLIDE 

headed  true  and  straight  on  its  course,  else  an  upset 
is  certain.  The  steersman's  whole  body  often  ex- 
tends at  arm's  length  behind  the  toboggan,  like  a 
rudder  on  an  airship.  Only  his  shoe  tips  scrape 
along  the  ice  as  he  swings  from  side  to  side.  Such 
steering  is  an  art  not  learned  in  a  first  attempt. 
Consequently  one  often  sees  a  toboggan  swing 
sideways  into  the  snow.  Then  a  grand  spill  occurs, 
man  and  maid,  indiscriminately,  turn  summer- 
saults; a  sight  which  affords  unlimited  amusement 
to  an  ever  present  crowd  of  spectators.  Skiing  on 
the  hills  affords  the  most  exciting  of  all  the  winter 


52  Concerning  Cornell 

sports.  Although  the  feats  of  Cornellians  who  in- 
dulge in  it  do  not  rival  those  of  the  Scandinavians, 
still  the  ski  runners  who  come  hurtling  down  the 
long  hill  slopes  at  the  east  end  of  Beebe,  or  down 


A    TOBOGGAN    SPILL 


the  less  steep  inclines  to  the  west  of  Central  Avenue 
are  always  sure  of  a  gallery,  though  this  is  apt  to 
applaud  their  tumbles  more  vociferously  than  the 
flying  leaps  they  accomplish  successfully. 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  refrain  from  expatiating, 
continually,  while  we  are  on  this  tour,  about  the 
diverse  exceptional  advantages  of  environment 
that  Cornell  enjoys.  We  have,  to  be  sure,  our- 
selves been  engaged  in  appraising  both  buildings 
and  location.  In  the  halls  we  have  found  every  in- 
ducement and  facility  for  the  acquisition  of  learn- 
ing; in  the  open  a  wealth  of  inspiration  afforded  by 
the  broad  free  outlook  over  hill  and  dale  and  lake. 
But  one  feels  impelled  constantly  to  break  away 


The  Campus  53 

from  the  detail  of  the  inventory  and  to  enlarge  on 
the  luxury  of  the  whole.  Where  else,  pray,  may 
there  be  found  a  plateau  with  its  summit  crowned 
by  a  score  and  more  of  pleasing  buildings,  whose 
interiors  are  crowded  with  treasures  of  books,  speci- 
mens and  mechanisms,  and  of  which  the  single 
structures  are  attractively  grouped  and  set  about 
a  campus  and  quadrangle  dotted  by  noble  trees  in 
groves  and  avenues  ?  At  every  turn  the  structures 
and  trees  frame  and  furnish  the  content  of  a 
beautiful  landscape  picture.  This  picture  changes 
with  the  seasons,  thus  adding  the  charm  of  variety 
to  its  fascination.  Where  else  can  one  find  a  cam- 
pus bounded  by  profound  chasms  that  impress  one 
by  their  immensity  with  the  greatness  of  the  works 
of  nature,  and  are  decorated  in  their  length  with  a 
hundred  waterfalls  large  and  small  ?  The  beauty 
of  these  gorges  robs  the  senses  of  any  feeling  that 
hurt  has  been  done  to  the  bosom  of  Mother  Earth 
by  the  opening  of  such  great  rents.  What  pleasure 
to  lift  the  eyes  and  sweep  a  horizon  enclosing  long 
hill  slopes  and  deep  valley  furrows,  forest  and  farm 
in  unending  succession;  a  town,  the  busy  habitat  of 
man;  and  the  solitary  ribbon  of  blue  lake  waters 
continuing  many  miles  and  lost  to  sight  only  in  the 
distance?  Where  else  a  university  home  provid- 
ing the  outlook  and  the  invitation  to  recreation 
of  a  summer  playground:  tramping,  fishing,  riding 
and  sailing;  and  in  winter  giving  such  convenient 
opportunity  for  that  season's  brightest  sports  and 
exercise  as  Beebe  Lake  and  its  domain  afford? 
And  with  that  the  half  has  not  been  said.    For, 


54  Concerning  Cornell 

while  the  buildings  on  the  campus  provide  place  for 
acquiring  the  culture  of  books,  experiment  and 
specimen;  and  the  outdoors  inspiration  for  the 
mind  and  invitation  to  bodily  activity;  this  out- 
doors is  but  a  wider  campus,  a  wonderfully  rich 
university  of  natural  history  abounding  in  phe- 
nomena of  biological,  geological  and  geographical 
interest  of  such  variety  as  to  have  invited  the  en- 
thusiastic comment  of  celebrated  scientists  from 
the  time  of  the  first  founding  of  Cornell  up  to  the 
present.  Now,  perhaps,  we  can  grasp  something 
of  the  full  fitness  of  Cornell.  Rich  in  man-made 
and  man-gathered  equipment  for  learning,  located 
where  nature  has  provided  inspiration  for  the  poet, 
beauty  for  the  artist,  problems  in  power  and  trans- 
portation engineering,  a  rich  field  for  collecting  and 
study  by  the  naturalist,  withal  insistent  invitation 
to  healthy  outdoor  recreation  by  the  whole  univer- 
sity community,  such  is  Cornell. 


On  the  bright  morning  of  a  new  day  we  recom- 
mence our  inventorial  tour  with  fresh  zest  and  vim. 
The  sun  shines  clear,  the  air  is  a  sparkling  tonic. 
Yet  it  must  be  confessed  that  while  such  days  are 
not  infrequent  at  Cornell,  they  often  fail  to  come 
as  often  and  in  as  unbroken  succession  as  Cornel- 
Hans  would  wish.  The  climate  of  the  Cornell 
region  is  not  all  that  might  be  desired.  Perhaps 
there  will  be  some  among  the  university  commu- 
nity who  will  feel  that  you  should  not  have  been 
told  this,  but  if  you  are  expected  to  enthuse  un- 


The  Campus  55 

reservedly  with  me  about  the  many  happy  circum- 
stances that  form  the  Cornell  environment,  your 
confidence  must  not  be  that  of  a  fair  weather 
friend.  The  Cornell  region  lies  in  the  average 
storm  track  of  the  west  wind  belt.  As  a  result 
practically  every  weather  disturbance  that  crosses 
the  United  States  from  the  west  is  felt  in  this 
region.  Overcast  skies  are  common,  we  normally 
have  frequent  rains  and  usually  much  snow.  Un- 
fortunately too,  the  university  session  beginning 
with  fall  and  extending  through  winter  and  spring 
comes  in  the  eight  months  of  the  year  that  include 
both  the  disagreeable  transition  seasons.  Summer 
is  usually  delightful  throughout,  so  is  early  fall  and 
late  spring.  But  in  late  fall  and  early  spring,  weeks 
pass  with  murky  sky  overhead  and  mire  under- 
foot. Yet  this  only  makes  Cornellians  appreciate 
more  the  balmy  days  of  later  spring  when  the  fresh 
green  leaves  peep  forth  from  the  swelling  buds  of 
the  elms  and  the  scent  of  myriad  lilac  bushes  per- 
fumes the  air.  Cornellians  are  equally  sensible  of 
the  mad  invigoration  of  the  Indian  summertime 
when  the  landscape  is  a  riot  of  red  and  yellow  color. 
To  be  sure  there  is  a  small  quality  of  mildness  in 
the  Cornell  winter.  One  realizes  then,  as  seldom 
in  the  other  seasons,  that  the  campus  is  a  hilltop, 
consequently  gets  the  weather — all  there  is  of  it. 
Fiercely  buffeting  winds,  whistling  around  corners 
of  buildings  and  bringing  with  them  blinding  flur- 
ries of  snow  that  pile  up  in  drifts  across  the  walks, 
are  typical  of  winter  days.  But  bright  and  balmy 
sunshiny  days  come  between.    After  all  the  little 


56  Concerning  Cornell 

tempers  of  the  winter  weather  are  of  minor  import, 
they  only  bother  when  one  needs  to  get  up  un- 
pleasantly early  to  make  an  eight  o'clock  class. 
The  iron  bridge,  from  which  we  viewed  Beebe 
Lake,  carries  the  roadway  that  is  the  continuation 
northward  and  westward  of  East  Avenue.  East 
Avenue  itself  extends  southward  parallel  to  the 
east  side  of  the  quadrangle  in  the  rear  of  Lincoln 
and  Goldwin  Smith  Halls.  Lincoln  Hall,  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  quadrangle  houses  the 
College  of  Civil  Engineering.  The  building  is  very 
pleasantly  ensconced  behind  a  clump  of  oak  trees 
that  undoubtedly  constitutes  the  most  artistic  sin- 
gle feature  of  the  quadrangle,  and  is  said  to  mark 
the  site  and  to  have  been  the  ornament  of  the 
Johnson  homestead,  a  log  cabin  that  was  probably 
the  first  white  man's  house  to  be  erected  on  the 
quadrangle.  The  many-gabled  roof  and  ivy- 
covered  red  sandstone  walls  of  the  structure  add 
not  a  little  to  the  picturesqueness  of  this  corner. 
While  the  upper  three  floors  of  Lincoln  Hall 
contain  drawing  and  recitation  rooms  quite  sim- 
ilar to  those  we  have  met  with  in  other  build- 
ings, there  is  on  the  first  floor,  at  the  north  end,  a 
museum  of  instruments  and  models  of  structural 
units  related  to  civil  engineering  activities  that  are 
worthy  of  inspection.  Among  those  objects  a  re- 
lief model  of  the  campus,  showing  the  contour  of 
the  land  and  all  the  buildings  as  they  existed  in 
1895,  is  especially  pertinent  for  comparison  with 
conditions  as  we  find  them  today.  In  the  basement 
below  the  museum  is  a  laboratory,  for  testing  the 


The  Campus  57 

strength  of  structural  materials,  that  contains  some 
curious  machines.  Of  these  one,  a  compression- 
strength-testing  device,  is  such  a  giant  as  to  project 
up  through  the  first  floor  as  though  it  were  a  great 
whale  come  to  the  sea  surface  to  breathe. 

Goldwin  Smith  Hall  of  Humanities,  to  which  we 
come  next,  has  long  been  in  our  eyes,  as  it  is  easily 
the  most  imposing  edifice  on  the  quadrangle.  Its 
only  possible  rivals  on  the  campus  are  the  Univer- 
sity Library  with  its  tower,  the  Baker  Laboratory 
of  Chemistry  and  the  Bailey  Auditorium  of  the 
Agricultural  College.  The  acceptability  of  Gold- 
win  Smith  Hall  from  an  architectural  viewpoint 
must  be  a  matter  for  the  individual  taste  of  the 
critic.  It  does  photograph  well  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  but  that  the  massive  columns  of  the 
portal  give  the  building  distinction  and  a  classic 
flavor  that  reflect  the  kind  of  studies  sheltered  un- 
der its  roof.  A  sense  of  solidity  and  permanence 
is  further  conveyed  by  the  square-hewn  and  large- 
block  masonry.  Every  feature  of  the  building 
may  therefore  be  thought  of  as  symbolizing  the 
traditional  and  fundamental  importance  of  the 
study  of  Greek  and  Latin,  of  philosophy  and 
history.  With  the  furtherance  of  these  studies  at 
Cornell  the  name  of  Goldwin  Smith,  historian  and 
publicist,  must  always  be  intimately  associated. 
In  the  early  years  of  the  university  he  was  its  most 
distinguished  professor  of  history;  his  wife  con- 
tributed generously  to  the  erection  of  the  building 
and  he  gave  his  own  fortune  to  endow  the  chairs 
of  the  liberal  studies  now  taught  in  its  halls.  These 


58  Concerning  Cornell 

things  are  all  set  forth  on  the  bronze  tablet  in  the 
entrance  hall  inscribed,  by  direction  of  the  univer- 
sity authorities,  with  an  extract  from  Goldwin 
Smith's  will  as  follows: 

ALL  THE  REST  AND  RESIDUE 
OF  MY  ESTATE  I  GIVE,  DEVISE 
AND  BEQUEATH  TO  CORNELL 
UNIVERSITY  IN  THE  STATE  OF 
NEW  YORK,  UNITED  STATES  OF 
AMERICA,  ABSOLUTELY  TO  BE  USED 
BY  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES  FOR 
THE  PROMOTION  ESPECIALLY  OF 
LIBERAL  STUDIES,  LANGUAGES, 
ANCIENT  AND  MODERN,  LITERA- 
TURE, PHILOSOPHY,  HISTORY  AND 
POLITICAL  SCIENCE,  FOR  WHICH 
PROVISION  HAS  BEEN  MADE  IN 
THE  NEW  HALL  WHICH  BEARS  MY 
NAME  AND  TO  THE  BUILDING  OF 
WHICH  MY  WIFE  HAS  CONTRIBUTED 

IN  CONFIRMING  THIS  BEQUEST 
MY  DESIRE  IS  TO  SHOW  MY  AT- 
TACHMENT TO  THE  UNIVERSITY 
IN  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  WHICH 
I  HAD  THE  HONOUR  OF  TAKING  PART, 
TO  PAY  RESPECT  TO  THE  MEMORY 
OF  EZRA  CORNELL,  AND  TO  SHOW 
MY  ATTACHMENT  AS  AN  ENGLISH- 
MAN TO  THE  UNION  OF  THE  TWO 
BRANCHES  OF  OUR  RACE  ON  THIS 
CONTINENT  WITH  EACH  OTHER 
AND  WITH  THEIR  COMMON  MOTHER 

Goldivin  Smith 


The  Campus  59 

Mounted  on  pedestals  that  stand  in  alcoves  to 
the  left  and  right  of  the  inscription  are  sculptured 
portrait  busts  of  the  benefactor  and  his  wife.  These 
serve  to  familiarize  the  hundreds  of  students  who 
come  to  classes  in  this  building  with  the  features 
of  its  patrons.  Other  inscriptions  in  Latin  and 
English,  over  the  portals  leading  to  the  basement 
rooms  from  the  lower  hallway,  tell  of  Goldwin 
Smith's  active  connection  with  Cornell  University 
as  resident  professor  of  English  history,  1868-72, 
and  of  his  life  and  work. 

In  the  basement  rooms  under  the  front  of  the 
building  we  find  the  Museum  of  Classical  Archae- 
ology. This  consists,  principally,  of  a  collection  of 
nearly  five  hundred  full-size  plaster  casts  of  notable 
examples  of  Greek  and  Roman  bronzes  and  mar- 
bles. These  casts,  for  the  most  part,  were  made 
to  order  under  the  direction  of  the  foreign  museums 
possessing  the  originals.  The  collection  is  intended 
to  furnish  the  best  possible  illustration  of  the  de- 
velopment of  ancient  sculpture,  and,  as  a  museum 
of  classical  sculpture,  is  said  to  be  excelled  in  the 
United  States  only  by  that  of  the  Museum  of  Fine 
Arts  in  Boston.  Wandering  from  one  to  the  next 
of  these  many  faithful  replicas  of  what  was  most 
beautiful  and  imposing  in  ancient  art,  even  the 
uninitiated  sightseer,  unfamiliar  with  the  myths 
and  legendary  lore  of  Greece  and  Rome,  must  ex- 
perience thrills  of  pleasure  at  the  satisfying  perfec- 
tion and  graceful  postures  of  the  human  form  as 
variously  and  fascinatingly  manifest  in  these  por- 
trayals.   We  find  old  favorites  in  the  collection. 


60  Concerning  Cornell 

also  rarer  pieces  of  which  we  do  not  know  the 
names,  still  less  the  history.  The  guide-book  which 
the  curator  kindly  furnishes,  has,  consequently, 
been  quite  thoroughly  conned  when  we  are  ready 
to  depart. 

The  main  floors  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall  are 
divided  chiefly  into  lecture  halls,  rooms  for  recita- 
tion classes  and  faculty  offices,  and  each  one  of  its 
kind  has  a  modern  and  inviting  aspect.  They  are 
attractive  and  usable  rooms  without  being  ornate. 
In  addition  to  large  lecture  halls  at  the  north  and 
south  ends  of  the  first  floor  of  the  building,  there  is 
a  quite  capacious,  amphitheatre  lecture  hall,  pro- 
vided with  an  ample  stage;  this  occupies  an  exten- 
sion eastward  from  the  central  part  of  the  main 
building.  This  hall  is  much  used  for  presentation 
of  one  act  plays  by  the  Dramatic  Club  and  as  a 
rostrum  for  visiting  lecturers.  Many  distinguished 
personages  each  academic  year  use  its  platform 
for  an  address  or  a  series  of  discourses.  Such  lec- 
tures are  generally  supported  by  endowments;  that 
provided  by  Mr.  Jacob  H.  Schiff  for  the  founda- 
tion bearing  his  name,  and  further  entitled  "Hu- 
man Civilization,"  being  noteworthy  because  the 
income  from  it  is  sufficiently  large  to  permit  the 
calling  of  eminent  speakers  from  overseas.  On  the 
second  floor  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall  are  offices  and 
an  educational  museum,  a  rather  inadequate  ex- 
hibit, while  the  third  floor  is  fitted  up  as  a  read- 
ing room  with  open  shelves  holding  a  good  refer- 
ence library  of  volumes  pertaining  to  the  subjects 
taught  in  the  Hall.    On  leaving  the  building  by  the 


The  Campus 


61 


south  entrance  our  attention  is  attracted  by  the 
large  oil  painting  by  I.  Gari  Melchers,  that  hangs 
on  the  side  wall.  Its  convincing  realism  makes 
this  picture  a  fitting  nucleus  for  the  future  art 
collection  of  Cornell,  where  search  for  eternal  ver- 
ities, even  their  minutae,  should  never  flag. 

Emerging  from  the  south  entrance  of  Goldwin 
Smith  Hall  we  come  directly  into  an  ornate  marble 
exedra,  the  setting  for  a  stone  table  surmounted  by 
a  bronze  sun-dial,  the  latter  very  appropriately 
inscribed  "Asa  Shadow  Such  is  Life." 


THE    EXEDRA,     GOLDWIN    SMITH     HALL 


A  little  stone  bench  inscribed:  Above  All 
Nations  is  Humanity, "  which  stands  infront  of  the 
building,  is  Goldwin  Smith's  own  campus  memorial. 
This  was  carved  by  some  English  students  who 
came  to  Cornell  at  Goldwin  Smith's  suggestion. 

The  south  side  of  the  quadrangle  is  marked 
off  by  three  buildings,  Stimson  Hall  just  opposite 
us,  Boardman  Hall  its  neighbor  on  the  right  and 
the  University  Library  which  we  have  visited.  In 
Stimson  Hall  is  located  the  Ithaca  division  of  the 
Cornell  University  Medical  College.    The  major 


62  Concerning  Cornell 

equipment  of  this  college  is  situated  in  New  York 
City,  in  touch  with  ample  hospital  facilities  and 
clinical  opportunities.  Only  the  first  year's  in- 
struction in  medicine  is,  therefore,  given  at  Ithaca. 
The  Cornell  Medical  College  is  a  graduate  school. 
To  become  a  candidate  for  its  M.  D.  degree  a 
student  must  have  previously  had  an  A.  B.  degree 
conferred  upon  him,  or  have  successfully  pursued 
studies  substantially  equivalent  to  such  attain- 
ment. On  account  of  such  very  high  entrance 
requirements,  the  enrollment  in  the  Ithaca  division 
of  the  Medical  College  is  small  as  compared  with 
that  of  the  other  major  divisions  of  the  university. 
Nevertheless  a  full  staff  of  instructors  is  maintained 
for  the  first  year's  subjects,  consequently  the  medi- 
cal student  at  Ithaca  is  insured  personal  tutoring 
almost  by  men  of  professorial  rank;  certainly  a 
rare  privilege. 

Entering  the  building  we  are  impressed  by  a 
spick  and  span  cleanliness  of  its  halls  and  walls 
that  is  in  happy  accord  with  the  ideals  of  modern 
medicine  in  its  fight  against  filth  as  the  fostering 
refuge  and  distributing  medium  of  disease  produc- 
ing bacteria.  At  the  east  end  of  the  structure  is  a 
typical  medical  amphitheatre  with  seats  in  steep 
tiers  so  that  the  topmost  spectator  can  look  directly 
down  on  the  work  of  the  demonstrating  operator, 
accordingly  be  able  to  watch  his  procedure  with 
a  facility  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  student  close 
beside  the  instructor.  This  amphitheatre  extends 
through  the  basement  floor  to  the  main  floor  above. 
Cold  storage  and  embalming  equipment  in  the 


cr 


Lincoln  Hall 


The  Museum  of  Classical  Archaeology 


The  Campus  63 

basement  make  possible  the  preservation  of  a  large 
number  of  cadavers  for  the  use  of  the  anatomy 
classes;  which  have  large,  well-lighted,  dissecting 
rooms  on  the  third  floor.  These  rooms  are  not 
open  to  visitors  except  by  special  permission  from 
the  director,  granted  only  when  some  reason  or  in- 
terest other  than  normal  curiosity  can  be  given. 
The  second  floor  laboratories  are,  however,  open  to 
all,  and  while  not  so  gruesome  in  aspect  as  the 
dissecting  rooms,  are  nevertheless  equipped  with 
weird  enough  complications  of  apparatus  to  con- 
vince the  laity  that  modern  medicine  has  at  least 
the  setting  of  the  traditional  occult. 

The  appropriateness  of  the  name  Morrill  Hall, 
after  Justin  Smith  Morrill,  author  of  the  Land 
Grant  Act,  applied  to  the  first  building  erected  on 
the  campus;  of  the  names  White  Hall  and  McGraw 
Hall,  Morse,  Franklin,  Sibley,  Lincoln  and  Gold- 
win  Smith  Halls,  is  quite  obvious  to  any  one  at  all 
familiar  with  Cornell  and  national  history.  The  der- 
ivation of  the  names  Stimson  Hall  and  Boardman 
Hall  is  not  quite  so  obvious.  Thus  Stimson  Hall 
was  named,  at  the  request  of  Dean  Sage,  the  donor 
of  the  building,  after  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Stimson,  pro- 
fessor of  Surgery  at  Cornell  University,  as  a  recog- 
nition of  Dr.  Stimson's  influence  in  securing  the 
establishment  of  the  major  part  of  the  Medical 
College,  located  in  New  York  City.  Boardman 
Hall,  similarly,  is  named  after  a  member  of  the 
faculty,  Judge  Douglass  Boardman,  the  first  Dean 
of  the  College  of  Law. 

The  lower  floor  of  Boardman  Hall  is  wholly 


64 


Concerning  Cornell 


given  over  to  lecture  halls,  two  large  ones  at  either 
end  of  the  building  and  a  smaller  one  in  the  middle. 
On  the  walls  of  these  rooms  is  hung  a  quite  notable 
gallery  of  small  portraits  of  English  and  American 
lawyers  and  judges,  many  of  them  autographed, 
while  the  stairway  is  adorned  by  a  large  oil  paint- 
ing of  Ezra  Cornell.    On  the  second  floor  are  the 


FROM  THE  ENTRANCE  PORCH  OF  BOARDMAN  HALL 

offices  of  the  dean  and  the  several  professors.  The 
whole  of  the  third  floor  is  occupied  by  the  law 
library  and  reading  rooms ;  the  open  shelves  of  the 
former  have  accommodations  for  over  sixty  thou- 
sand volumes  and  there  is  space  for  three  hundred 
readers.  The  library  at  present  consists  of  some 
fifty-four  thousand  volumes  and  is  a  quite  notable, 
and  in  some  respects  unique,  collection.  The  nu- 
cleus on  which  it  has  been  built  was  the  well-known 


TuE  Postals  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall 


The  Campus  65 

collection  of  Nathaniel  G.  Moak  presented  to  the 
College  in  1893  by  Mrs.  A.  M.  Boardman  and  Mrs. 
Ellen  D.  AYilliams  as  a  memorial  to  Judge  Douglass 
Boardman.  The  library  at  present  ranks  after  the 
Harvard  Law  Library  as  an  all  round  collection, 
but  is  probably  second  to  none  in  the  completeness 
of  its  set  of  law  reports  of  Great  Britain,  British 
Colonies  and  British  dependencies,  no  better  exist- 
ing even  in  England.  In  the  Cornell  College  of 
Law  instruction  is  given  not  only  in  the  principles 
of  substantive  law  but  also  in  the  principles  of 
pleading  and  in  the  general  and  fundamental  rules 
of  practice.  Thus,  while  its  graduates  need  actual 
experience  to  become  masters  of  the  details  of  prac- 
tice, they  are  so  well  grounded  in  the  general  rules 
as  to  become  proficient  speedily  in  the  art  of  pro- 
cedure. 

In  making  the  round  of  the  inner  quadrangle, 
complete  here  at  Boardman,  we  have  walked  nearly 
three-fourths  of  a  mile,  as  a  glance  at  the  map  will 
prove.  Our  visits  to  classrooms,  laboratories  and 
lecture  halls  in  the  buildings  would  easily  make  up 
the  full  mile.  It  is  a  half  mile  from  Central  Avenue 
stone-arch  bridge  to  the  front  of  Franklin  Hall. 
These  figures  help  to  a  realization  of  the  actual 
dimensions  of  the  campus.  They  are  the  more 
significant  when  it  is  noted  that  our  trip  thus  far 
has  covered  only  about  one-half  of  the  campus  area 
actually  occupied  by  buildings.  AYhat  we  have 
seen  may  well  be  termed  the  old  campus,  though 
it  includes  several  new  buildings  within  its  pre- 
cincts.   But  a  new  campus,  as  extensive  or  more 


66  Concerning  Cornell 

so  than  the  old,  has  grown  up  practically  within 
the  last  decade.  It  lies  to  the  east  of  the  earlier 
domain  and  is,  in  fact,  still  in  active  process  of 
development.  Toward  it  we  may  next  turn  our 
steps. 

Crossing  East  Avenue  at  the  end  of  Presi- 
dent's Avenue  (which  extends  parallel  to  the 
lengths  of  Stimson  and  Boardman  Halls)  we  find 
ourselves  in  front  of  the  President's  Residence, 
erected  and  presented  to  the  university  by  A.  D. 
White,  first  president  of  Cornell.  It  is  now  oc- 
cupied by  Dr.  Livingston  Farrand,  the  fourth 
regularly  inaugurated  president  of  the  institution. 
The  parallel  rows  of  elms  that  border  each  side  of 
President's  Avenue  and  extend  northward  along 
East  Avenue  to  the  number  of  seventy-two  trees 
are  the  memorial  of  the  Class  of  1872,  the  first 
class  to  be  graduated  from  Cornell  in  the  full 
four  years'  course  and  it  is  to  this  fact  that  the 
little  marker  stone  set  at  the  end  of  the  avenue, 
with  its  inscription:  "Prima  Interpares, "  first 
among  equals,  refers. 

Turning  to  the  north  and  then  following  the 
cement  walk  up  the  slope  to  the  right,  brings  us 
to  the  south,  main  entrance  of  Rockefeller  Hall, 
the  home  of  the  department  of  physics.  This 
building  is  the  outpost  of  the  new  campus  and  in 
a  sense  marks  the  general  characteristics  of  all 
the  structures  that  stand  on  this  extension  of  the 
academic  domain.  Its  architectural  outline  and 
mass  as  well  as  its  structural  shell,  have  been  made 
subservient  to  utility  and  economy.    The  walls  are 


The  Campus  67 

of  brick  and  the  dominant  idea  of  its  plan  was  to 
provide  as  great  and  varied  facilities  for  teaching 
and  research  in  physics  as  possible  with  the  sum 
of  money  available  for  its  building  and  equipment. 
While  the  building  has  a  pleasing,  substantial  ex- 
terior, only  an  examination  of  its  interior  arrange- 
ment and  equipment  can  make  fully  evident  how 
well  the  physics  faculty  knew  just  what  they  want- 
ed and  how  much  of  it  could  be  got  with  Mr.  John 
D.  Rockefeller's  gift  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars.  As  Mr.  Rockefeller  stipulated  further 
that  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  be 
set  aside  by  the  university  authorities  to  provide 
an  income  for  the  maintenance  of  the  building,  it 
would  seem  that  quite  adequate  provision  has  been 
made  for  the  subject  of  physics  at  Cornell. 

In  the  south  wing  of  Rockefeller  are  large  lec- 
ture halls,  one  seating  six  hundred,  the  other  two 
hundred  students,  each  fitted  with  a  multiplicity  of 
conveniences  for  demonstration  experiments  in 
mechanics,  heat,  light,  sound  and  electricity;  the 
lecture  desks  surpassing  those  of  chemistry  in  the 
intricacy  and  variety  of  their  stop-cock  and  electri- 
cal connections.  These  include  a  switch,  connected 
with  a  lifting  apparatus  and  shutters,  for  darkening 
the  room  in  a  few  seconds  when  it  is  necessary  to 
use  the  stereopticon  lantern.  Between  these  lec- 
ture rooms  are  apparatus-rooms  crowded  to  ca- 
pacity with  complicated  devices,  each  one  a  marvel 
of  mechanical  execution,  in  whose  construction  the 
ingenuity  of  master  minds  is  written  quite  as 
legibly  as  if  set  forth  in  print.    In  the  basement 


68  Concerning  Cornell 

below  are  research  laboratories,  with  massive  con- 
crete foundations  to  insure  freedom  from  vibra- 
tions; a  mechanician's  work  shop  and,  under  the 
north  wing,  a  quite  complete  plant  for  the  liquefac- 
tion of  air,  also  a  small  ice-making  machine.  On  the 
main  floor  of  the  north  wing  is  the  dynamo  labora- 
tory, a  jungle  of  wires  and  switchboards,  inter- 
spersed with  the  black,  squat  forms  of  the  genera- 
tors. Into  this  room  it  is  not  safe  to  venture  with- 
out a  guide.  At  the  north  end  of  the  main  building 
are  other  electrical  laboratories  while  the  main 
corridor  of  the  first  floor  is  flanked  by  offices  and 
reading  rooms.  On  the  second  floor  are  the  labora- 
tories in  which  the  large  classes  in  general  physics 
conduct  a  variety  of  elementary  experiments. 
These  present  an  interesting  sight  when  the  classes 
are  at  work,  the  students  singly,  or  in  pairs,  or  in 
groups  of  three  or  four,  each  intently  engaged  in 
some  manipulation  having  for  its  purpose  the 
securing  and  setting  down  of  data  for  future  com- 
putations. Here,  again,  shrewd  planning  is  in 
evidence  to  have  all  this  work  go  on  at  the  same 
time  in  orderly  fashion.  Similarly  well  arranged 
are  the  photographic  laboratories  that  we  reach  by 
climbing  the  north  stairs  to  the  third  floor.  The 
equipment  of  galleries,  dark  rooms  and  printing 
rooms,  with  which  this  branch  of  the  department  is 
fitted  may  well  be  the  envy  of  many  professional 
commercial  photographers.  The  courses  offered 
are  popular  with  undergraduates,  a  fact  not  to  be 
wondered  at  in  view  of  the  strong  incentive  of  the 
beautiful  Cornell  environment  to  picture-making. 


The  Campus 


69 


On  this  third  floor  there  is  also  a  laboratory  for 
advanced  general  physics  and  special  research, 
laboratories  for  spectroscopy,  photometry,  electric 
wave  and  high  temperature  measurements.  Adja- 
cent to  the  general  laboratories  on  the  second  floor 
is  a  reference  room  for  students'  use  with  several 
volumes  ingeniously  screwed  fast  to  the  reading 
desks  to  prevent  their  being  carried  off — a  scheme 
that  provokes  a  smile  and  is  interestingly  reminis- 
cent of  the  chained  volumes  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
Leaving  Rockefeller  Hall  by  its  north  entrance 
we  turn  east  on  Reservoir  Avenue  and  approach 
the  west  side  of  the  splendid,  new  Bailey  Audito- 
rium that  has 
b  een  provided 
by  the  state 
as  part  of  the 
equipment  of 
the  New  York 
State  Agricul- 
tural College 
at  Cornell 
University. 
This  is  an  im- 
posing structure  of  brick  and  concrete,  semicircular 
in  ground-plan,  of  classic  design  and  provided  with 
colonnades  of  limestone  monoliths  at  the  entrance 
and  along  either  side.  These  large  columns  greatly 
enhance  the  architectural  dignity  of  the  building 
and  mark  it  off  distinctly  from  the  other  structures 
of  the  new  campus.  Both  from  the  spacious  front 
vestibule  and  from  the  loggias  at  either  side,  wide 


BAILEY     HALL 


70  Concerning  Cornell 

doors  open  into  a  corridor  that  surrounds  the 
auditorium  chamber,  which  has  seating  capacity 
for  two  thousand  persons.  The  stage  has  a  very 
wide  opening  but  it  is  neither  deep  nor  very  high, 
and  in  these  respects  would  have  been  unsuited  for 
the  presentation  of  dramatic  pieces  requiring  the 
use  of  scenery  of  modern  elaboration.  But  it  was 
quite  well  adapted  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
great  pipe  organ  presented  by  Andrew  Carnegie 
through  the  late  first  president  of  Cornell,  A.  D. 
White.  While  not  one  of  the  largest,  either  in  size 
or  number  of  pipes,  this  instrument  with  its  range 
of  ten  octaves,  its  six  divisions,  including  an  echo 
organ  in  the  dome  at  the  center  of  the  building,  the 
choir  organ  in  the  room  over  the  west  rear  entrance 
and  a  cathedral  chime,  is  distinctly  one  of  the 
notable  organs  in  America.  Practically  the  whole 
university  community  may  be  numbered  as  music 
lovers,  accordingly  it  is  not  surprising  to  learn  that 
frequent  organ  recitals  are  attended  by  capacity 
audiences  and  that  the  first  time  the  Annual  Music 
Festival  was  held  at  the  Auditorium  a  financial  loss 
was  threatened  because  practically  all  of  the  two 
thousand  seats  for  the  four  concerts  were  disposed 
of  in  season-tickets  at  a  reduced  rate.  A  large  sale 
of  seats  to  single  concerts  at  higher  prices  had  been 
anticipated  by  the  management.  When  it  is  re- 
membered that  the  town  and  college  population 
together  total  only  twenty  thousand  persons,  and 
that  Ithaca  is  not  a  wealthy  place,  it  will  be  under- 
stood that  quite  a  measure  of  musical  appreciation 
is  expressed  by  such  a  season-ticket  sale.    In  this 


The  Campus  71 

connection  it  is  apropos  to  add  that  although  on 
the  completion  of  the  Auditorium  it  was  feared 
that  its  acoustics  would  be  unutterably  bad,  this 
difficulty  has  been  entirely  eliminated  and  at  pres- 
ent it  is  a  well-nigh  perfect  audience  chamber. 
Similar  praise  applies  also  to  the  seating  arrange- 
ment (place  is  almost  equally  desirable  anywhere 
in  the  hall)  and  to  the  generally  pleasing  architec- 
ture of  the  interior. 

What  might  have  been  dressing  rooms  for 
beautiful  leading  ladies  and  handsome  stars,  at  the 
rear  and  in  the  basement  of  the  Auditorium,  had 
the  stage  been  differently  planned,  have  been  con- 
verted by  the  agriculturalists  into  classrooms  and 
laboratories  for  a  department  that  studies  plant 
diseases,  officially  known  as  the  department  of 
plant  pathology.  Studying  vegetable  diseases  in 
an  auditorium  where  music  festivals  are  held !  But 
then  it  is  well  known  that  agriculturalists,  the  world 
over,  are  prone  to  such  incongruities,  and  of  such 
there  must  be  gradations  and  refinements.  Ac- 
cordingly we  must  accept  the  pig  in  Paddy's  hut 
and  the  plant  diseases  in  the  Auditorium  as  exam- 
ples of  a  similar  phenomenon  representing  ex- 
tremes in  the  range  of  its  possibilities.  However, 
it  should  be  said  that  the  department  of  plant 
pathology  would  be  only  too  happy  to  move  out 
of  these  cramped  quarters. 

The  small  stucco  structure  that  occupies  part 
of  the  area  to  the  south  of  the  Auditorium  entrance 
was  the  Rural  School  House.  This  building  was 
planned  to  demonstrate  a  one-teacher  country  school 


72  Concerning  Cornell 

but  as  the  arrangement  is  already  out  of  date  and 
may  no  longer  serve  as  a  model  the  building  has 
been  given  over  to  the  Cornell  Countryman  for  offi- 
ces. In  this  connection  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that 
the  New  York  State  Legislature  has  authorized 
a  further  building  program  for  the  Agricultural 
College  involving  the  expenditure  of  three  million 
dollars,  and  that  plans  are  now  (1924)  in  hand  for 
these  new  structures  by  the  State  Architect.  The 
beautiful  garden  of  perennials  south  of  the  school 
building  is  a  demonstration  plot  tended  by  stu- 
dents in  the  classes  of  the  department  of  floriculture. 
A  short  distance  east  from  the  Auditorium  is 
the  Home  Economics  Building.  This  occupies  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  Agricultural  College  quad- 
rangle, which,  while  not  on  so  extensive  a  scale  as 


HOME    ECONOMICS    BUILDING 


the  older  quadrangle,  comprises  a  similar  rectangle 
marked  out  by  buildings,  walks  and  parallel  rows 
of  handsome  elms.  It  is  now  noon  and  we  will  do 
well  to  enter  the  attractive  cafeteria  in  the  base- 


The  Campus  73 

ment  of  the  Home  Economics  Building  to  secure 
refreshment  and  to  rest  our  somewhat  weary  limbs. 
On  entering  we  are  confronted  by  a  huge  pile  of 
trays,  each  supplied  with  a  paper  napkin.  In 
boxes,  close  by,  are  knives,  forks  and  spoons. 
While  securing  a  tray  and  implements  we  may 
study  the  menu  that  is  conspicuously  posted 
on  the  side  wall  with  the  prices  stated  for  each 
article  of  food.  Then  we  pass  along  the  serving 
table  that  extends  nearly  across  the  room  and  select 
what  we  wish  to  eat,  item  by  item.  Competent 
carvers  supply  a  choice  of  meats,  other  helpers  dish 
out  vegetables,  kept  hot  on  steam  heated  tables, 
we  pick  up  our  own  dessert,  ready  in  rows  of  dishes, 
then  are  supplied  with  hot  coffee  or  tea  from  huge 
urns,  and,  at  the  end  of  the  serving  table,  pay  the 
cashier  for  our  meal.  After  securing  a  glass  of  ice- 
cooled  water  from  a  convenient  tap  we  are  ready 
to  select  a  place  at  one  of  the  small  tables  in  the 
attractive  dining  hall  before  us.  From  out  the 
north  windows  there  is  a  pleasant  view  and  a  cool 
breeze  blows  in  over  the  green  lawn.  Altogether, 
the  setting  is  quite  agreeable,  we  find  the  food  well 
cooked  and  the  meal  proves  very  enjoyable. 

In  addition  to  insuring  students  good  meals  at  a 
convenient  point,  the  management  and  operation 
of  the  cafeteria  provides  a  practical  laboratory  in 
which  the  home  economics  students  may  become 
versed  in  the  buying,  preparation,  cooking  and 
serving  of  foods  in  great  variety  on  the  scale  that 
this  is  done  in  institutions  where  large  numbers 
of  people  must  be  fed  at  the  same  time.   A  costume 


74  Concerning  Cornell 

shop  at  the  west  end  of  the  basement  room  affords 
the  same  opportunity  to  get  practical  experience 
with  clothing  that  the  cafeteria  does  with  food. 
Frocks  are  there  designed  and  made  for  customers 
as  in  commercial  establishments. 

Passing  upstairs  in  the  Home  Economics  Build- 
ing we  find  on  the  first  floor,  offices,  classrooms  and, 
at  the  east  end,  a  model  apartment  in  which  young 
women  students  in  turn  have  to  practise  family 
housekeeping.  The  appointments  and  arrange- 
ment of  this  apartment  are  always  subjects  for 
animated  discussion  when  bona-fide  housekeepers 
come  to  call.  An  assembly  room,  seating  three 
hundred  persons,  occupies  the  center  front  of  the 
second  floor.  Opposite  it  is  a  large  family  kitchen 
and  a  dining-room  for  serving.  At  each  end  of  the 
main  hall  are  laboratories  where  the  principles  of 
food  preparation  and  nutrition  are  taught  experi- 
mentally. It  will  be  noted  that  the  importance  of 
giving  comfort  to  the  inner  man  is  fully  recognized 
by  the  department.  Among  the  women  students 
of  the  university  it  has  come  to  be  considered  in- 
cumbent on  the  girl  who  is  betrothed  during  her 
college  career  to  change  her  course  so  as  to  include 
cooking  courses  in  the  home  economics  department; 
indeed  the  attitude  of  men  of  the  university  toward 
co-education  has  actually  become  much  more  tol- 
erant since  home  economics  courses  have  been 
established.  On  the  third  floor  of  the  building 
various  sewing  crafts  are  taught,  there  is  also  a 
chemical  laboratory,  while  on  the  fourth  floor  we 
find  a  large  well-lighted  drafting  room  where  prac- 


The  Campus  75 

tical  instruction  in  house  planning,  decorating  and 
furnishing  is  given.  Ingenious  methods  are  em- 
ployed to  give  the  home  economics  work  a  real 
significance.  Thus  in  one  class  each  girl  is  required 
during  the  term  to  invent  some  labor-saving  device 
for  the  home.  This  may  take  the  form  of  an  im- 
provement on  an  earlier  device  (thus  one  girl 
attached  a  sawed-off  broom  handle  to  the  hand- 
hold of  a  dust  pan,  obviating  the  necessity  of 
stooping) .  The  girls  even  have  a  practice  baby  to 
attend.  The  problem  of  providing  an  adequate 
wardrobe  for  a  family  of  five  with  a  total  annual 
income  of  one  thousand  dollars  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  another  group.  (This  before  the  high  prices 
of  1917  and  after  became  current!)  After  discus- 
sion as  to  the  maximum  amount  that  would  be 
available  for  clothing  it  devolved  on  each  student 
to  make  her  own  list  of  the  needs  and  to  complete 
the  outfit  at  rates  prevailing  in  the  local  shops,  the 
total  cost  not  to  exceed  the  budget.  The  family 
did  not  get  ultra-modish  habiliments,  moreover 
father  and  brother  suffered  somewhat  since  the 
women  did  the  buying,  nevertheless  the  show- 
ing was  quite  creditable.  The  rural  economy  de- 
partment also  has  offices  in  this  building. 

We  cross  the  new  quadrangle  now  to  the  main 
agricultural  college  building.  This  has  been  offi- 
cially named  Roberts  Hall,  after  the  first  director 
of  the  institution,  and  quite  appropriately,  as  it 
was  the  first  to  be  erected  of  the  group  of  structures 
that  now  constitute  the  college.  Roberts  Hall  is 
comprised  of  a  group  of  three  buildings,  consisting, 


76  Concerning  Cornell 

as  originally  planned  and  occupied,  of  a  central 
administrative  section  joined  by  loggias  to  the 
Stone  Hall  section  on  the  west  and  class  rooms 
on  the  east.  Entering  the  basement  of  the  central 
section  we  find  ourselves  in  the  domain  of  the  mail- 
ing department,  a  scene  of  bustling  activity  as  this 
department  sends  out  literally  thousands  of  agri- 
cultural bulletins  and  circulars  dailv.    This  is  one 


THE    LOGGIA,    ROBERTS    HALL 


of  the  ways  in  which  the  college  keeps  the  farmers 
of  the  state,  who  can  not  all  come  to  the  school  it- 
self, posted  on  what  is  new  and  worth  while  in  the 
agricultural  field,  and  particularly  in  regard  to  the 
experimental  results  secured  by  its  own  faculty. 
The  special  devices  employed  in  addressing  and 
printing  circulars  are  quite  up-to-date  and  would 
do  credit  to  the  equipment  of  a  progressive  mail 
order  concern.    A  case  of  models  showing,   by 


The  Campus  77 

means  of  hundreds  of  miniature  replicas  of  early 
forms,  the  probable  development  of  the  plow, 
stands  in  the  basement  passageway  leading  west- 
ward. The  north  basement  room  at  the  west  end 
is  occupied  by  one  of  the  plant  physiology  labora- 
tories; here  the  workings  of  the  plant  organism 
are  studied  as  minutely  as  doctors  scrutinize  the 
functions  of  the  parts  of  the  animal  body.  There 
is,  however,  no  such  outcry  against  the  vivisection 
studies  of  the  plant  physiologists  as  the  doctors  of 
medicine  must  combat.  Possibly  this  accounts  for 
the  greater  cruelty  of  the  plant  scientists ;  thus  they 
have  among  their  apparatus  a  horribly  efficient 
looking  press  for  squeezing  all  the  juice  from  a 
living  plant  regardless  of  the  feelings  of  the  poor 
vegetable.  Opposite  this  laboratory  on  the  south 
side  of  the  basement  is  a  well  lighted  and  inviting 
room  that  houses  the  Agricultural  Library  (num- 
bering now  some  fifteen  thousand  volumes)  and  a 
number  of  comfortable  desks  for  readers. 

On  the  first  floor  of  the  Stone  Hall  section  is 
another  laboratory  for  plant  physiology  investiga- 
tion, also  offices  for  the  department  of  farm  practice 
and  of  the  farm  superintendents  and  the  periodi- 
cal room  of  the  college  library.  The  farm  practice 
department  administers  the  requirement  that  stu- 
dents must  have  actual  farm  training,  by  finding 
summer  places  for  the  embryo  agriculturists  and 
checking  up  on  the  kind  of  work  they  do  in  these 
positions.  On  the  third  floor  are  the  main  lab- 
oratories, offices  and  herbarium  of  the  department 
of  botanv.    All   instruction   and  research  in  the 


78  Concerning  Cornell 

subject  of  botany  is  now  done  in  this  department 
of  the  College  of  Agriculture. 

We  cross  back  to  the  main  section  of  the  build- 
ing by  the  upper  passageway.  In  the  hallway  of 
its  third  floor  a  number  of  cases,  with  display  trays 
at  the  top,  provide  accommodation  for  a  collection 
of  some  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  thousand 
insects.  The  curator  knows  that  we  can  not  hope 
to  see  them  all,  therefore  has  put  the  more  repre- 
sentative local,  and  striking  foreign,  specimens  of 
the  different  orders  in  the  glass  cases  at  the  top 
with  interesting  bits  of  reading  about  each.  In  the 
laboratory  at  the  west  end  of  the  hall,  on  the  north 
side,  are  wall  cases  with  specimens  of  highly  colored 
exotic  butterflies  mostly  from  South  America.  We 
are  interested  to  learn  that  as  much  as  ninety 
dollars  has  been  paid,  though  not  by  Cornell 
University,  for  a  rare  specimen  of  one  such  form. 
In  the  laboratory  opposite,  a  similar  case  illustrates 
protective  coloration  of  insects.  Here  are  bugs 
looking  for  all  the  world  like  dead  leaves,  or  like  the 
twigs  to  which  they  cling.  In  a  series  of  cases  at 
the  east  end  of  the  hallway  are  displayed  a  great 
number  of  glass  models  of  the  marine  inverte- 
brates, jelly  fish  from  tropical  waters,  sea  lilies,  sea 
anemones  and  the  like,  each  a  marvel  of  delicate 
workmanship.  As  may  be  guessed  this  is  the  do- 
main of  the  biological  departments;  the  third  floor 
being  the  special  province  of  the  entomologists. 
The  practical  application  of  the  entomologist's 
work  is  indicated  by  a  case  in  the  center  of  the  hall 
in  which  species  of  insects  destructive  to  cultivated 


The  Campus  79 

plants  are  shown  with  examples  of  the  nature  of 
the  harm  they  do.  In  addition  to  occupying  the 
third  floor  with  their  entomological  collections, 
laboratories,  classrooms  and  offices,  the  biologists' 
activities  extend  to  the  fourth  floor  where  there  is 
similar  provision  for  nature  study  and  limnology, 
a  technical  term  for  the  study  of  the  life  of  inland 
waters.  To  supplement  their  indoor  studies  the 
biologists  further  maintain  an  insectary  in  which 
the  life  history  of  insects  may  be  studied,  a  fish 
hatchery  in  Cascadilla  Creek  and  a  field  laboratory 
in  the  Renwick  marshes  below  the  city  of  Ithaca. 
While  the  biological  province  extends  to  the 
fourth  floor  of  the  main  section  of  Roberts  Hall, 
a  large  part  of  that  floor  is  devoted  to  the  meteoro- 
logical department  maintained  in  co-operation 
with  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau  and  com- 
prising one  of  its  observatories.  Here  we  find  a  full 
set  of  meteorological  instruments,  including  an 
automatic  triple-recorder  electrically  connected 
with  apparatus  on  the  roof  and  so  devised  that  it 
will  register  graphically  the  variations  in  direction 
and  velocity  of  the  wind,  the  amount  of  precipita- 
tion and  the  duration  of  sunshine  and  cloudiness. 
The  section  director  of  the  observatory  extends  a 
cordial  welcome  to  look  around,  tells  us  of  what 
stuff  the  weather  is  made  and  so  clearly  that  we 
soon  feel  confident  of  becoming  weather  prophets 
ourselves.  He  shows  us  how  he  makes  his  daily 
weather  map  and  the  process  of  reproducing  it  for 
distribution,  then  directs  us  to  the  roof  for  a  view 
of  his  apparatus  in  action  as  well  as  for  a  pleasing 


80  Concerning  Cornell 

outlook  over  all  the  country  round,  similar  to  the 
prospect  we  enjoyed  from  the  library  tower. 

From  the  roof  we  descend  by  the  central  stair- 
way to  the  second  floor,  where  the  departments  of 
horticulture  and  floriculture  are  located.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  usual  apportionment  of  the  space  into 
offices,  classrooms  and  laboratories  we  find  the 
hallway  of  this  floor  lined  with  cases  that  contain 
exhibits  of  a  pomological  character.  One  of  these, 
at  the  west  end  of  the  hall,  is  of  exceptional  interest 
— The  Morris  Collection  of  the  Edible  Nuts  of  the 
World.  It  includes  about  two  hundred  varieties 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  collections  of  its 
kind.  The  inviting  appearance  of  some  of  the  little 
known  specimens  suggests  future  great  possibilities 
for  the  comparatively  undeveloped  branch  of  agri- 
culture included  in  the  technical  term  nuciculture, 
the  growing  of  nuts. 

The  first  floor  of  the  main  building  contains  the 
administrative  offices  of  the  college.  A  fine  por- 
trait of  former  Director  Roberts,  after  whom  the 
building  is  named,  adorns  a  panel  of  the  central 
staircase  wall.  To  the  north  of  the  main  hallway 
passageways  lead  to  the  assembly  hall  in  which  an 
audience  of  about  six  hundred  may  be  seated.  This 
hall  has,  in  the  past,  indirectly  exerted  a  great  in- 
fluence on  the  life  and  school  spirit  of  the  agricul- 
ture students  in  that,  by  affording  a  convenient 
meeting  place  of  ample  size,  it  has  made  possible 
frequent  rallies  of  the  college  congregation.  Thus 
it  has  offset  the  tendency  to  decentralization  that 
naturally  develops  in  assemblies  where,  despite  a 


Rockefeller  Hall 


Class  of  1872  Elms 


H^3 
05  a 
ST 


The  Campus  si 

basic  unity  of  purpose,  a  great  diversity  of  special 
interests  exists.  It  may  be  pointed  out  that  the  Arts 
College  suffers  from  precisely  such  lack  of  com- 
munity feeling.  In  view  of  the  great  growth  of  the 
Agricultural  College  this  function  of  the  assembly 
hall  has  been,  in  large  part,  transferred  to  the  new 
Bailey  Auditorium.  Thus  the  agriculture  students 
may  expect,  as  in  the  past,  to  enjoy  spirited  talks 
by  their  college  dean,  and  other  agricultural 
leaders,  addressed  to  the  whole  student  body,  as 
well  as  to  hold  representative  ''get  together" 
meetings  of  their  own,  despite  their  continued 
increase  in  numbers. 

The  east  end  of  Roberts  Hall,  corresponding  to 
Stone  Hall  on  the  west  end,  was  until  the  end  of 
1923  particularly  the  province  of  the  dairy  depart- 
ment. Now  this  department  has  quarters  of  its 
own  in  a  Dairy  Building  that  is  located  next  north 
of  the  Animal  Husbandry  Building.  The  base- 
ment laboratories  of  the  former  dairy  department 
are  to  be  given  over  to  the  mailing  department  and 
to  repair  shops.  Upstairs  we  find  lecture  rooms 
and  offices  for  the  departments  of  pomology,  farm 
practice  and  meteorology.  On  the  third  floor  are 
drawing  rooms  where  instruction  in  the  graphic 
arts  is  given  to  all  agricultural  students  who  may 
need  it  in  their  work. 

Leaving  Roberts  Hall  we  may  interrupt  our 
regular  round  of  inspection  by  making  a  visit  next 
to  the  new  Dairy  Building.  The  extensiveness  of 
the  dairy  interests  of  the  farmers  of  New  York 
state  has  insured  that  this  building  be  very  com- 


82  Concerning  Cornell 

pletely  equipped  and  fitted  with  all  modern  devices 
for  dealing  with  and  manufacturing  dairy  products. 

Around  the  hallway  of  the  main  entrance  we 
note  reading  rooms  and  extensive  suites  of  offices 
for  the  staff,  shared  temporarily  with  members  of 
the  faculty  of  the  department  of  rural  engineering. 
On  the  second  floor  of  the  main  building  there  is  a 
large  lecture  room  and  around  the  front  a  series  of 
chemical  laboratories,  each  one  devoted  to  a  special 
purpose,  as,  for  example,  a  dairy  chemistry  labora- 
tory, a  technical  control  laboratory,  an  elementary 
testing  laboratory. 

The  third  floor  of  the  main  building  is  similarly 
given  over  to  a  variety  of  bacteriological  labora- 
tories. In  one  of  these  we  find  a  large  class  of 
young  women  (from  the  home  economics  school) 
most  industriously  engaged  in  determining  the 
number  of  bacteria  in  various  food  products  and 
in  finding  out  how  fast  they  multiply.  We  are  not 
particularly  attracted  by  the  odors  given  off  by 
some  of  their  specimens,  and,  in  view  of  the  results 
of  their  tests,  we  feel  impelled  in  the  future  to  look 
somewhat  carefully  into  the  antecedents  of  the 
oysters,  condensed  milk,  hamburg  steak,  sausages 
and  other  similar  food  products  of  which  we  are 
invited  to  partake.  This  work  is  very  practical. 
The  student's  attention  is  directed  to  the  effects  of 
the  presence  of  the  micro-organisms  studied,  and 
to  the  precautions  that  must  be  taken  to  prevent 
infection,  rather  than  to  the  learning  of  the  Latin 
names  and  classification  of  the  various  growths. 

Descending   again   to   the   main   floor   we  go 


The  Campus  83 

through  a  central  doorway  and  down  a  few  steps 
into  the  manufacturing  wing  that  extends  to  the 
east  for  two  hundred  feet.  Here  we  encounter 
first  a  series  of  rooms  in  each  of  which  a  different 
variety  of  cheese  is  made.  Then  there  is  a  room 
in  which  ice  cream  is  manufactured,  another  room 
is  an  advanced  butter  laboratory,  a  third  is  an 
elementary  butter  laboratory.  We  wonder  just 
what  the  difference  between  advanced  butter  and 
elementary  butter  is.  We  are  surprised  too  at  the 
variety,  complexity  and  size  of  the  machinery  used 
in  dealing  with  this  one  product,  milk.  An  im- 
mense refrigerating  plant,  pasteurizers,  separators, 
cream  ripeners,  churns,  bottle  washers  and  bottle 
fillers  are  a  few  of  the  items.  There  are  other  rooms 
at  the  far  end  of  the  wing  on  an  upper  floor  where 
milk  is  received  in  vast  quantities,  condensed, 
powdered,  made  into  butter  and  made  into  cheese. 
A  specimen  of  the  cheeses  made  was  sent  to,  ac- 
cepted, and  eaten  by  English  royalty,  a  fact  that 
testifies  to  its  excellence  if  of  no  other  interest.  Some 
notion  of  the  scale  of  operation  is  afforded  by  the 
annual  production  figures  that  have  been  attained; 
butter  over  three  hundred  thousand  pounds,  cheese 
of  various  kinds  over  fifty  thousand  pounds. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  these  manufactures 
are  simply  a  commercial  proposition  conducted 
with  the  sole  idea  of  producing  revenue  for  the 
department.  They  serve  to  make  the  student  of 
dairy  industry  thoroughly  familiar  with  creamery 
operations  on  a  large  scale,  to  supplement  his 
theoretical  with  practical  training.    This  explains 


84  Concerning  Cornell 

the  rows  of  student  chairs  in  some  of  the  manufac- 
turing rooms.  The  classes  not  only  take  notes  but 
also  perform  many  of  the  operations.  Altogether 
this  is  the  best  kind  of  training;  the  combining  of 
the  practical  with  the  theoretical.  Increased  educa- 
tional efficiency  would  result  if  it  could  be  applied 
to  all  kinds  of  subjects.  If  a  student  of  English, 
for  example,  could  be  made  to  write  a  book  while 
studying  composition  it  might  well  be  that  he 
would  more  appreciate  the  very  practical  applica- 
tion of  the  precepts  presented;  especially  if  he  had 
to  make  his  book  so  good  that  it  would  sell  at  a 
profit,  as  must  the  dairy  products. 

As  we  come  outdoors  again  we  are  facing  west. 
We  retrace  our  steps  to  the  east  end  of  Roberts 
Hall  and  then  go  across  the  Agricultural  College 
quadrangle  to  Caldwell  Hall,  in  which  the  de- 
partments of  soil  technology  and  agricultural 
chemistry  are  housed. 

The  appointments  of  this  building  give  evidence 
of  much  care  in  its  planning;  the  lecture  room  at  the 
east  end  being  especially  admirable  in  its  arrange- 
ment and  well  worthy  of  the  study  of  any  educator 
who  may  be  responsible  for  the  provision  of  a 
similar  room  elsewhere.  A  fine  portrait  of  Pro- 
fessor Caldwell  of  Cornell  University,  one  of  the 
foremost  and  earliest  agricultural  chemists  in 
America,  occupies  the  place  of  honor  on  the  walls 
of  the  lecture  room.  A  number  of  laboratories  for 
the  investigation  of  soils  by  both  elementary  and 
advanced  students,  as  well  as  various  department 
offices  occupy  the  rest  of  the  building,  except  that 


The  Campus  85 

a  part  of  the  space  on  the  second  floor  and  on  the 
fourth  floor  is  given  over  to  the  departments  of 
rural  education  and  rural  engineering. 

The  east  end  of  the  Agricultural  College  quad- 
rangle is  marked  off  by  the  old  animal  husbandry 
building,  now  remodelled  to  house  the  department 
of  farm  management.  The  building  itself  is  an 
unprepossessing  wooden  structure  but  its  class- 
rooms and  laboratories  contain  interesting  charts 
on  the  cost  of  production  of  various  farm  products. 

The  similar  shed-like  structure  behind  the  old 
animal  husbandry  building  is  the  home  of  the  rural 
engineering  department.  While  unpretentious  like 
its  neighbor,  the  building  is  not  lacking  in  inter- 
esting content.  We  find  exhibition  set-ups  of  water 
supply  and  electric  lighting  systems  for  country 
dwellings,  models  of  modern  plank  frames  for  barns 
and  an  elaborate  apparatus  for  testing  the  character 
of  spray  discharged  by  fruit  spraying  nozzles  of  va- 
rious types,  significantly  designated  a  spray ograph. 

Among  the  trees  on  the  slope  to  the  north  of  the 
Rural  Engineering  Building  is  a  modest  structure 
which  formerly  housed  the  department  of  landscape 
art,  but  is  now  also  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  the 
rural  engineers.  The  department  of  landscape  art 
has  been  made  a  part  of  the  College  of  Architec- 
ture. While  landscape  art  remained  in  the  Agricul- 
tural College  a  large  number  of  students  were  here 
taught  the  various  considerations  that  enter  into 
the  problem  of  providing  an  artistic  and  delightful 
outdoor  setting  for  the  modest  country  home  as 
well  as  for  the  mansion  on  an  estate  or  the  great 


86  Concerning  Cornell 

public  building.  Moreover  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege intrusted  this  department  with  the  preparation 
of  part  of  its  campus  plan,  an  expression  of  confi- 
dence that,  while  seemingly  only  logical,  is  the  more 
noteworthy  in  that  it  has  not  always  been  accorded 
to  the  experts  of  other  departments  of  the  univer- 
sity when  practical  problems  in  their  fields  have 
come  up.  The  building  itself  has  a  very  attrac- 
tive interior  arrangement,  its  atmosphere  seems 
conducive  to  artistic  effort. 

Retracing  our  steps  we  now  go  south  to  the 
collection  of  greenhouses  and  attached  laboratories 
that  are  situated  just  to  the  east  of  Roberts  Hall. 
These  are  given  over  to  instructional  and  investi- 
gation work  in  floriculture,  vegetable-gardening, 
plant-breeding,  soils  and  plant-pathology.  Usually 
they  contain  some  attractive  massed  growth  of 
flowers,  at  present  vari-colored  carnations,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  glass-house  space  is  devoted  to 
experimental  planting.  Accordingly,  the  exhibits 
are  interesting  only  in  their  technicalities;  which 
we  can  not  stop  to  have  explained  to  us,  because 
they  are  so  numerous  and  involved.  However,  we 
do  note  and  wonder  about  a  large  number  of  stands 
of  wheat,  each  stand  growing  in  a  separate  large 
pot.  The  wide  diversity  in  height  and  general 
sturdiness  of  growth  shown  by  the  different  stands 
according  to  the  kind  of  soil  and  other  conditions 
supplied,  indicate  the  methods  by  which  the  fittest 
plants  are  culled  out,  deficiencies  of  soil  detected 
and  characteristics  of  growth  noted  at  all  stages. 

To  the  northeast  of  the  greenhouse  range  we 


The  Campus  87 

note  a  red  brick  structure  with  a  tiled  roof,  the 
university  nitration  plant,  given  by  Andrew  Car- 
negie to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  a  typhoid  epi- 
demic such  as  unhappily  developed  in  1903.  At 
present  both  the  city  of  Ithaca  and  the  university 
have  adequate  nitration  plants  and  make  frequent 
careful  tests  of  the  water  supply. 

Close  adjacent  to  the  filtration  plant  is  the  new 
forestry  building,  Fernow  Hall,  erected  at  a  cost 
of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  dol-  _==£ 
lars.  The  teaching  of  ^xfi 
professional  forestry 


in  American  univer- 
sities had  its  beginning 
at  Cornell,  where  the  FERNOW  HALL 

first  college  of  forestry  in  the  country  was  estab- 
lished by  New  York  State  in  1898.  After  a  period 
of  efficient  work  its  activities  were  suspended  in 
1903,  but  in  the  fall  of  1911  were  again  resumed 
with  the  administrative  organization  of  a  depart- 
ment of  the  College  of  Agriculture.  From  1914  on 
the  work  has  been  centered  in  the  new  building  we 
are  now  visiting.  Here  are  laboratories  for  testing 
timber,  several  for  the  study  of  wood  technology, 
an  herbarium,  a  museum  and  appropriate  class  and 
lecture  rooms.  In  the  attic  a  pleasant  room  has 
been  fitted  up  for  the  forestry  club,  as  well  as 
photographic  galleries  and  dark  rooms.  The  de- 
partment of  plant  breeding  also  occupies  quarters 
in  this  building.  A  suggestion  of  the  high  regard 
in  which  scientific  forestry  is  coming  to  be  held  is 


88  Concerning  Cornell 

given  by  the  fact  that  at  the  dedication  of  this 
building  a  letter  was  read  from  a  man,  not  con- 
nected with  the  university,  expressing  his  interest 
in  the  renewal  of  the  work  at  Cornell  and  the  hope 
that  in  the  future  a  timber  might  be  developed 
combining  qualities  not  now  possessed  by  any  one 
wood.  He  further  enclosed  his  check  for  five  hun- 
dred dollars  to  be  used  as  the  department  saw  fit, 
a  gift  from  a  private  individual  to  a  state  supported 
institution,  a  rather  unusual  sort  of  donation. 

The  tall  smokestack  that  projects  above  the 
top  of  the  slope  to  the  northeast  of  Fernow  Hall 
marks  the  location  of  the  heating  plant  formerly 
serving  the  College  of  Agriculture.  Steam  is  now 
furnished  to  all  the  buildings  of  the  college  from 
the  new  university  plant. 

The  old  heating  station  is  on  a  direct  north-south 
line  with  the  Poultry  Husbandry  Building  which 
faces  the  main  highway  leading  to  the  east.  Here 
we  have  an  Agricultural  College  department  with 
a  distinctly  specialized  field,  snugly  established  in 
handsome  quarters  and  at  home  long  enough  to 
feel  quite  at  ease.  One  senses  that  the  officers  of 
this  department  have,  to  a  large  degree,  realized 
their  ideals  of  equipment,  and  while  we  may  chuckle 
at  the  idea  of  a  ninety  thousand  dollar  university 
building  the  larger  part  of  which  is  given  over 
to  the  interests  of  the  humble  hen,  one  must 
admit  that  she  is  made  much  of  here,  and  deserved- 
ly. Her  antecedents  and  descendants,  her  anatomy 
and  superstructure,  her  consumption  and  produc- 
tion are  all  studied  in  minute  detail.  In  a  museum 


The  Campus  89 

room  on  the  second  floor  is  a  picture  chart  of  the 
record  of  the  premier  of  her  kind,  Lady  Cornell, 
with  her  portrait  in  the  center  flanked  by  repre- 
sentations in  oil  of  the  enormous  pile  of  eggs  she 
laid,  of  the  food  she  ate;  and  tables  showing  what 
she  cost  while  living  and  the  values  she  produced 
before  she  died.  Indeed  matters  are  juxtaposed 
much  in  that  way  throughout  the  department. 
Thus  at  the  east  end  of  the  basement  room  are 
three  mammoth  incubators  each  capable  of  bring- 
ing to  life  three  thousand  chicks  at  a  time,  to  say 
nothing  of  a  number  of  smaller  foster-hens.  As  a 
counterbalance  to  this  teeming  new-life  zone  there 
have  been  installed  at  the  other  end  of  the  base- 
ment a  series  of  refrigerating  rooms  where  dressed 
poultry  is  kept  in  cold  storage.  On  the  first  floor 
we  find,  at  the  right  of  the  main  entrance,  a 
laboratory  for  cleaning,  testing,  grading  and  pack- 
ing eggs.  We  are  astonished  at  the  number  of  de- 
fects the  hen  is  apt  to  conceal  in  her  white-shelled 
product,  and  how  surely  these  stand  revealed  under 
the  scrutiny  of  the  poultry  husbandry  experts.  We 
learn  that  eggs  are  best  both  as  to  quality  and 
price  in  March  and  April;  their  fluctuating  value 
is  indicated  for  a  period  of  several  years  by  a  large 
quotation  board  in  the  main  hall.  Below  this  is  an 
illuminated  lantern-slide  display  illustrating  the 
various  ills  that  hens  are  heir  to.  As  in  the  base- 
ment, the  egg  laboratory  on  the  right  is  unfeelingly 
placed  opposite  a  killing,  picking  and  packing 
laboratory  on  the  left.  The  killing  is  done  most 
scientificallv;  the  manner  is  illustrated  bv  a  colored 


90  Concerning  Cornell 

diagram  on  the  wall.  The  fowl  is  hung  head  down- 
ward, its  throat  is  cut  and  its  brain  pierced.  This 
lets  the  blood  escape  and  relaxes  the  tissues  that 
hold  the  feathers.  We  are  told  that  an  expert  can 
kill,  dress  and  dry-pick  a  bird  in  four  minutes  but 
it  takes  the  beginning  student  about  half  an  hour. 
Everything  is  done  with  the  utmost  cleanliness  and 
economy,  they  even  save  the  fine  feathers.  On  the 
other  floors  we  find  departmental  offices,  labora- 
tories, and  classrooms  used  by  the  department  of 
farm  crops  as  well  as  by  the  department  of  poultry 
husbandry  for  theoretical  instruction  in  these 
subjects.  Auxiliary  buildings  adjacent  to  the  main 
structure  provide  houses  for  egg  production,  for 
fattening,  brooding,  breed  observation,  food  and 
supplies.  In  addition  to  this  equipment  the  depart- 
ment has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  about  one  mile 
north  of  the  building,  where  flocks,  numbering  some 
seven  thousand  individuals  and  of  a  great  variety 
of  breeds,  are  maintained.  Surely  the  facilities  for 
study  of  the  hen  are  well  nigh  complete  at  Cornell. 
Leaving  the  Poultry  Husbandry  Building  we 
follow  the  road  eastward  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  before  we  come  to  the  Animal  Husbandry 
Buildings,  erected  so  far  out  in  order  to  be  near  the 
University  Barns  which  are  located  still  farther  to 
the  east.  No  doubt  emulation  of  the  poultry 
husbandry  equipment  animated  the  planning  of 
the  animal  husbandry  professors,  for  their  facilities 
rival  if  they  do  not  excel  those  of  the  poultry  men. 
The  Animal  Husbandry  Buildings  consist  of  a 
three-story  main  structure  and  directly  behind  it  a 


The  Campus  91 

stock- judging  pavilion.  The  south  end  of  the  base- 
ment of  the  main  building  is  fitted  up  as  a  farm 
slaughter  room  with  an  inclined  passageway  for 
leading  animals  directly  to  the  killing  room.  Ad- 
jacent to  the  killing  room  is  an  up-to-date  refrig- 
erating room  which  in  turn  opens  into  a  cutting  and 
curing  room.  Under  the  east  wing  of  the  building 
we  find  a  room  for  smoking  meats,  a  room  for  mak- 
ing lard,  another  for  curing  and  storing  hams  and 
bacon,  and  a  pickling  room.  A  boiler  room,  locker 
and  lavatory  facilities  occupy  the  rest  of  the  space 
in  the  wing.  On  the  north  side  of  the  basement  is 
a  laboratory  for  experimental  breeding. 

A  large  lecture  room  providing  seating  capacity 
for  two  hundred  persons  occupies  the  space  of  the 
first  and  second  floors  in  the  east  wing.  This  room 
has  been  so  arranged  that  animals  may  be  led 
directly  from  the  outside  on  the  lecture  platform. 
The  first  floor  space  of  the  main  building  is  devoted 
to  offices  and  classrooms.  The  second  floor  is 
fitted  up  for  the  study  of  animal  nutrition.  Here 
are  laboratories  for  the  examination  of  feed  both 
macroscopically  and  under  the  microscope,  as  well 
as  by  chemical  analysis.  On  the  top  floor  we  find 
the  departmental  library  adjacent  to  a  room  for 
advanced  research.  A  harness  room  and  a  pedi- 
gree laboratory  occupy  the  space  at  the  north  and 
south  ends  of  this  third  story. 

The  judging  pavilion,  in  the  rear  of  the  main 
building,  is  a  one-story  structure  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  long  and  eighty  feet  wide,  the  whole 
nterior  consisting  of  one  large  room.    In  the  center 


92  Concerning  Cornell 

is  a  great,  tan-bark  floor,  giving  ample  space  for 
putting  a  horse  through  his  paces,  while  seats 
around  the  sides  will  accommodate  some  four  to 
five  hundred  spectators.  Incidentally  it  may  be 
stated  that  a  Cornell  graduate  who  had  had  in- 
struction in  this  department  was  so  much  impressed 
by  the  merit  of  the  system  used  in  grading  the 
animals  that  he  wrote  a  long  article  for  the  Sunday 
edition  of  a  New  York  City  newspaper  proposing 
that  young  men  should  adopt  a  similar  scheme 
when  choosing  a  wife.  He  included  a  detailed 
statement  of  the  number  of  points  to  be  allowed 
for  beauty,  neatness,  form,  amiability  and  a  long  list 
of  other  attributes,  but  it  must  be  admitted  that 
at  last  account  he  was  still  a  bachelor.  Whether 
this  was  because  he  could  not  find  a  candidate 
whom  he  could  score  high  enough  to  be  acceptable 
as  a  life-partner  or  whether,  on  instinctive,  as  op- 
posed to  scientific  judging,  eligible  candidates  have 
spurned  him  would  make  another  story. 

Behind  the  judging  pavilion,  on  the  far  side  of 
an  intersecting  highway,  are  the  University  Barns, 
the  larger  structures  being  the  Horse  Barn  and  the 
Dairy  Barn.  A  considerable  number  of  horses  are 
kept,  as,  in  addition  to  their  use  for  purposes  of 
instruction  and  experimentation,  these  animals  are 
employed  on  the  University  Farms  and  in  drawing 
freight  and  other  hauling  needed  by  the  univer- 
sity. Most  of  the  horses  are  pure-bred  Perch erons. 
The  dairy  herd  consists  of  Holsteins,  Jerseys, 
Guernseys,  Short  Horns  and  Ayrshires.  In  addition 
to  this  stock  a  flock  of  about  fifty  sheep  is  main- 


The  Campus  93 

tained  and  a  number  of  swine  are  bred  each  year. 

Over  nine  hundred  acres  of  land  are  included 
in  the  College  Farms  which  extend  east,  north 
and  south,  beyond  the  University  Barns.  Tillable 
fields,  pasture  lots,  wood  and  forest  lots,  orchards, 
plots  for  soil  experimentation,  vegetable  gardening 
and  floriculture  are  all  included  in  this  area.  In 
June  an  especially  gorgeous  display  is  presented  by 
the  peony  field  when  the  largest  collection  of  cor- 
rectly named  varieties  of  peonies  to  be  found  any 
where  in  the  world  is  in  bloom.  This  is  located  op- 
posite the  rifle  range  on  the  country  road  that  leads 
past  Forest  Home  village.  Here,  too,  many  varie- 
ties of  iris,  phlox  and  gladioli  are  grown.  A  very 
large  representation  of  the  cultivated  hardy  flora 
and  sylva  is  already  included  in  the  plantings  on 
the  university  grounds  and  it  is  planned  to  estab- 
lish a  garden  of  the  native  species  on  the  long  strip 
of  land  that  borders  the  north  side  of  Cascadilla 
Creek.  With  this  as  a  central  point  of  interest  the 
university  will  possess  a  Botanic  Garden  that  will 
afford  a  very  wide  variety  of  illustrative  specimens 
for  instructional  purposes,  while  at  the  same  time 
the  garden  will  add  much  to  the  natural  beauty 
and  interest  of  the  Cornell  environment. 

The  rear  side  of  the  stock  judging  pavilion  is 
three  fourths  of  a  mile  removed  from  the  focus  of 
the  university  campus,  marked  by  the  University 
Library.  As  there  is  only  a  ten  minute  interval 
between  class  periods  it  will  be  appreciated  that 
the  limit  of  expansion  of  the  university  campus  has 
been  very  nearly  attained.    Even  now  a  student 


94  Concerning  Cornell 

who  has  a  class  at  one  hour  in  the  Animal  Husband- 
ry Building  and  one  in  the  succeeding  period  in 
mathematics  at  White  Hall,  may  not  loiter  if  he 
would  arrive  at  the  second  class  on  time.  He  has 
nearly  a  mile  to  cover  in  ten  minutes. 

We  appreciate  this  extensiveness  of  the  uni- 
versity domain  as  we  return  westward  from  our 
visit  to  the  University  Barns  across  the  wide  ex- 
panses that  comprise  Alumni  Field.  This  is  the 
new  playground  and  athletic  field  for  the  whole 
university  that  covers  an  area  of  fifty-seven  acres, 
all  of  which  has  been  carefully  graded  at  a  heavy 
expense,  in  large  part  paid  for  by  alumni  contribu- 
tions. We  pass  first  the  tennis-courts,  all  in  a  row, 
and  accommodating  a  great  number  of  players  at 
one  time.  Then  we  cross  the  great  Students*  Com- 
mon where  there  is  ample  space  for  some  dozen 
baseball  games  to  be  in  progress  at  once.  Here  we 
find  that  it  needs  only  the  provision  of  adequate 
grounds  to  bring  about  active  participation  in  out- 
door sports  by  the  great  mass  of  students.  The 
whole  field  is  peopled,  it  is  hard  to  count  the  num- 
ber of  games  being  played.  On  the  terrace  level 
below  the  Common  and  to  the  west  is  a  similar 
large  expanse,  the  Playground,  also  open  to  stu- 
dents generally  and  as  well  occupied.  For  the 
most  part  the  contests  here  are  between  teams  in 
well  organized  leagues  playing  off  the  Inter  College 
Series,  the  Inter  Class  and  the  Inter  Fraternity 
Series.  But  pick-up  nines  are  also  in  evidence, 
in  fact  every  gradation  of  skill  in  playing  seems 
to  have  found  opportunity  to  participate.     The 


The  Campus  95 

handsome  structure  at  the  south  end  of  the  play- 
ground, which  we  are  now  approaching,  is  the 
gift  of  the  late  Willard  Straight,  of  the  class  of 
1901,  in  memory  of  Henry  Schoellkopf,  member 
of  the  class  of  1902.  It  has,  accordingly,  been 
named  the  Schoellkopf  Memorial  Hall.     It  pro- 


C 


SCHOELLKOPF    MEMORIAL    FIELD    AND    HALL 

vides  handsomely  equipped  quarters,  including 
baths  and  locker  rooms,  for  the  various  varsity 
and  visiting  teams.  Its  elaborate,  octagonal,  cen- 
tral hall,  moreover,  gives  an  adequate  setting  for 
the  display  of  the  innumerable  banners,  pennants 
and  cups  that  are  the  spoils  of  Cornell's  athletic  vic- 
tories. Prominent  among  these  is  the  great  Inter- 
collegiate Track  Cup  which  found  a  permanent 
home  at  Cornell  when,  by  a  splendid  victory,  the 
Cornell  Team  of  1914,  for  the  fifth  time  since  the 
cup  had  been  placed  in  competition  achieved  the 
Intercollegiate  Championship  in  Track. 

From  the  terrace  level  of  the  Memorial  Hall  we 
look  southward  over  Schoellkopf  Field  and  Stadium 
where  varsity  contests  in  football  and  track  are 
now  staged.     On  its  east  side  is  an  immense  con- 


96  Concerning  Cornell 

crete  stadium  recently  enlarged  so  that  it  now 
provides  room  for  nearly  twenty-two  thousand 
spectators.  When  the  stands  are  full  the  crowd 
itself  makes  a  very  imposing  spectacle  as  seen 
from  the  west.  The  building  with  the  pyra- 
midal roof  that  projects  up  from  the  level  of 
the  terrace  next  lower  is  Bacon  Practice  Hall. 
Nearly  all  of  the  interior  of  this  building  is  com- 
prised in  one  large  room,  an  indoor  baseball  cage 
on  whose  earthen  floor  candidates  for  the  varsity 
baseball  team  are  trained  and  sorted  while  the 
skies  outdoors  are  still  overcast  and  the  ground 
deeply  covered  with  snow  or  mud.  On  a  dark 
March  evening  the  radiance  from  the  myriad  elec- 
tric bulbs  that  glow  under  its  glass  roof  and  whose 
rays  also  flood  out  through  its  spacious  windows 
envelops  the  hall  with  a  blaze  of  warm  light  and 
gives  it  a  cozy  and  bright  appearance  in  the  midst 
of  the  bleak  winter  landscape. 

On  the  lowest  of  all  the  levels  and  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  new  athletic  domain  is  Hoy 
Field,  named  in  honor  of  David  F.  Hoy,  registrar 
of  the  university,  an  enthusiastic  fan  and  for  long 
years  chairman  of  the  baseball  committee.  The 
burning  of  part  of  the  equipment  at  Percy  Field 
in  the  spring  of  1920  led  to  the  decision  to  play 
the  varsity  baseball  games  in  1922  on  this  new 
field.  Altogether  the  provision  for  outdoor  sports 
on  Alumni  Field  is  on  a  scale  commensurate  with 
the  size  and  athletic  standing  of  Cornell,  and  equally 
attractive  in  plan  and  appointment. 

It  is  quite  appropriate  that  another  branch  of 


The  Campus 


97 


physical  training,  that  of  military  science,  now  has 
its  new  home  so  near  to  the  athletic  precincts.  The 
new  Drill  Hall,  for  which  the  New  York  State 
Legislature  appropriated  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  in  the  spring  of  1914,  occupies  the 
area  across  the  road  from  Hoy  Field  and  to  the 
west  of  the  Playground.  The  drill  hall  proper  is 
three  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  long  and  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  feet  wide,  and  thus  provides 
a  vast  expanse  of  open  floor  space.    This  has  made 


THE    DRILL    HALL 


it  possible  to  drill  the  whole  cadet  corps  throughout 
the  winter.  Furthermore  it  is  now  feasible  to  give 
instruction  in  military  science  to  both  underclasses 
instead  of  only  to  the  freshmen,  as  had  been  the  case 
before  the  war.  During  the  war  this  building  was 
tendered  to  the  national  government  by  the  "uni- 
versity for  use  as  quarters  and  classrooms  by  a 
ground  school  for  officers  in  training  for  the  army 
aviation  corps.    A  temporary  mess  hall  adjacent 


98  Concerning  Cornell 

to  the  main  structure  supplied  a  suitable  eating 
place.  Some  six  hundred  men  were  in  training  at 
one  time  and  as  soon  as  one  group  completed  the 
course  the  outgoing  men  were  replaced  by  a  group 
of  new  recruits  of  equal  number.  The  splendid 
physique  of  each  and  every  one  of  these  men  and 
their  general  capableness  of  bearing  made  a  notable 
impression  on  all  the  university  community  and 
evoked  much  envious  comment  among  the  under- 
graduates. 

The  highway  between  the  Playground  and  the 
Drill  Hall  leads  to  the  last  group  of  buildings  we 
must  visit  to  make  our  tour  of  the  university 
complete.  These  buildings  constitute  the  New 
York  State  Veterinary  College,  which,  like  the 
Agricultural  College,  is  state  supported  but  is 
under  independent  administration.  The  three 
buildings  that  extend  from  south  to  north  along 
the  highway  constitute  the  new  hospital  for  large 
and  small  animals.  The  southern-most  of  the 
three  is  the  Farriery.  Its  ground  floor  is  devoted 
to  an  isolation  ward  and  wards  for  horses  and 
cattle,  with  an  adjoining  demonstration  hall.  On 
the  first  floor,  at  the  level  of  the  highway,  is  the 
farriery  forge-room,  fully  equipped  for  the  teach- 
ing of  horseshoeing.  A  six  weeks*  course  is  given 
each  year  to  practical  horseshoers,  in  this  subject, 
in  addition  to  thorough  instruction  to  veterinary 
students.  The  third  floor  of  the  Farriery  is  used 
for  storage  and  a  lecture  room.  The  central 
structure  of  the  group  is  the  Medical  Building.  In 
it  are  a  drug  room,  clinic  hall,  physical  examination 


The  Campus  09 

room  and  wards  for  large  animals  on  the  ground 
floor.  The  second  floor  has,  in  addition  to  student 
and  research  laboratories,  an  amphitheatre  lecture 


VETERINARY    COLLEGE,    HOSPITAL    BUILDINGS 

room  with  seats  in  tiers  at  the  same  steep  pitch 
that  we  found  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  Medical 
College.  An  interesting  feature  in  the  construc- 
tion of  this  and  other  of  the  Veterinary  College 
Buildings  is  the  evident  provision  throughout  for 
the  housing,  moving  of,  and  for  operations  on 
large  animals,  patients,  but  not  necessarily  always 
patient.  On  the  third  floor  of  the  Hospital  Build- 
ings are  quarters  for  the  grooms  and  internes  to- 
gether with  a  large  laboratory.  The  attic  pro- 
vides facilities  for  the  storage  of  grain  and  hay. 
The  north  building  of  the  group  is  a  Small  Animal 
Hospital.  It  also  houses  the  department  of  materia 
medica.  Here  we  find  a  number  of  kennels  pro- 
vided for  small  animal  patients  and  an  operating 
room  with  modern  equipment  for  their  surgical 


100  Concerning  Cornell 

attention,  as  well  as  lecture  and  laboratory  rooms 
for  the  instruction  of  students. 

The  exterior  architecture  of  this  group  of  three 
buildings  is  of  rather  unusual  design.  The  pro- 
nounced vertical  element  apparent  in  the  elevation 
of  the  main  portions  of  the  structure  is  further  em- 
phasized by  the  steep  roofs  that  cover  them,  by  the 
paired,  chimney-like  shafts  that  project  above  the 
ends  and  sides  of  the  units,  and  by  a  central  tower 
that  surmounts  the  whole  group.  The  effect  is 
certainly  distinctive  and  invites  much  comment. 

Between  the  hospital  buildings  and  the  main 
building,  James  Law  Hall,  are  a  number  of  smaller 
structures  belonging  to  the  Veterinary  College. 
Each  of  these  has  a  distinctive  use.  Thus  there 
is  a  Surgical  Ward,  an  Operating  Theatre,  a 
Post  Mortem  Building  and  a  cottage  for  the 
groom. 

James  Law  Hall  has  a  larger  variety  of  inter- 
esting content  than  the  hospital  buildings.  Its 
front  entrance  opens  directly  into  the  large  museum 
of  the  college.  Here  we  find  a  great  collection  of 
specimens  illustrating  the  anatomy  of  nearly  every 
kind  of  domestic  animal,  large  or  small.  On  one 
shelf  is  a  model  showing  the  mechanism  of  the  eye, 
on  the  other  the  preserved  stomach  of  a  sheep,  a 
third  has  specimens  of  tuberculous  tissues  from 
cows.  The  second  floor  houses  connected  labora- 
tories, that  devoted  to  physiology  being  especially 
replete  with  interesting  apparatus.  Here  are  kumo- 
graphs,  sphymographs,  tambours  and  centri- 
fuges.   We   can  not   stay   to   study   what   even 


The  Campus 


101 


JAMES    LAW    HALL 


the  names  may  mean.  On  the  third  floor  we  are 
similarly  confronted  by  complications  in  equip- 
ment provided  for  laboratory  bacteriological  and 
pathological  study. 
A  large  lecture 
room  occupies  the 
upper  floor  of  a 
two-story  wing 
that  extends  to 
the  east.  On  its 
ground  floor  are 
the  anatomical  lab- 
oratories where  the 
veterinary  students  dissect  animal  bodies  as  pains- 
takingly as  the  medical  students  work  over  human 
cadavers.  In  the  new  wing  on  the  south  side  of 
James  Law  Hall  the  Flower  Library  of  veterinary 
books  and  periodicals  is  now  housed.  This  wing 
also  contains  a  large  auditorium,  offices  and  a 
diagnosis  laboratory. 

Emerging  from  James  Law  Hall  we  stand  for  a 
moment  under  its  portico  and  admire  the  broad 
lawn  that  extends  to  East  Avenue.  We  follow  a 
path  along  the  side  of  the  lawn  to  this  highway, 
where  we  enter  under  the  shade  of  the  Ostrander 
Elms.  This  fine,  double  row  of  trees  was  the  gift 
of  a  farmer,  John  B.  Ostrander,  who  although  he 
could  boast  of  but  small  store  of  worldly  wealth, 
was  nevertheless  moved  by  the  same  abundance  of 
heart  that  actuated  the  Founder,  Ezra  Cornell.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  university,  Ostrander  offered 
his  "fine  lot  of  young  elms"  to  Mr.  Henry  W.  Sage 


102  Concerning  Cornell 

with  the  sentiment:  "They  will  make  a  shade  for 
somebody  after  you  and  I  are  gone."  Now  that 
his  gift  has  come  to  fruition  we,  who  are  here  to 
enjoy  it,  are  humbly  appreciative  of  the  largeness 
of  spirit  that  prompted  an  offering  from  which  only 
a  later  generation  than  his  might  expect  to  benefit. 
We  are  grateful  too,  for  we  are  weary,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  rest  under  these  green  boughs  and  con- 
template the  large  external  proportions  and  the 
still  vaster  internal  complications  of  the  present 
day  university  whose  physical  resources  we  have 
just  finished  surveying. 

It  is  indeed  a  great  institution.  Nor  has  it 
come  to  a  standstill,  content  with  its  present  status. 
At  every  hand  we  have  met  with  evidence  of 
growth  and  expansion.  Its  interests  and  the  varie- 
ties of  instruction  it  affords  are  nearly  as  manifold 
as  the  diverse  fields  of  all  human  endeavor.  Truly 
the  motto  bestowed  by  Ezra  Cornell  "I  would 
found  an  institution  where  any  person  can  find 
instruction  in  any  subject,"  has  been  abundantly 
realized.  We  have  inspected  the  university's  equip- 
ment, have  seen  some  of  its  work  in  progress. 
Where  we  have  best  understood  what  was  being 
done,  where  the  subjects  approached  more  nearly 
the  interests  and  activities  of  the  every-day  life  of 
the  multitude  we  have  lingered  longest  and  have 
profited  most  in  our  tour.  But  this  only  serves  to 
convince  us  that  the  more  technical  fields  and  de- 
partments have  equally  great  fascination  for  those 
who  possess  the  keys  to  their  appreciation. 

Above  all,  though,  we  have  been  impressed  by 


The  Campus  lo:j 

the  natural  beauty  of  the  university  site.  From  a 
score  of  points  of  view  the  campus  presents  itself 
as  a  picture,  perfect  in  composition  and  color. 
The  very  number  of  pleasant  outlooks  we  have 
seen  suggests  that  there  are  more.  We  want  to 
stay  and  explore  them  all.  We  are  eager  to  be 
numbered  among  the  throng  of  students  that,  when 
the  big  clock-bell  strikes  the  hour,  crowds  the 
walks  and  cross  paths  on  the  way  from  one  class 
to  the  next.  They  idle  or  hurry,  those  students, 
according  to  their  disposition,  or  perhaps  as  the 
next  class  may  be  in  a  building  near  or  distant. 
It  is  an  animated  scene  the  quadrangle  presents 
in  that  ten  minutes  between  classes.  Freshmen, 
wearing  their  diminutive  gray  caps,  patter  back 
and  forth;  groups  of  upper  classmen  gather  in  door- 
ways, a  professor  carrying  a  portfolio  bulging  with 
books  and  papers  is  a  conspicuous  figure.  In  that 
ten  minutes  at  the  hour  acquaintance  nods  to  ac- 
quaintance, friend  chats  with  friend,  it  seems  that 
every  one  on  the  campus  is  in  sight.  Between  the 
hours,  however,  the  great  quadrangle,  by  contrast, 
seems  as  silent  as  a  graveyard,  betraying  no  signs 
of  the  swarming  young  life  the  halls  so  abundantly 
contain.  It  is  a  positively  eerie  feeling  that  comes 
over  us  when  the  last  student  hastens  from  our 
sight  into  the  shadows  beyond  yon  portals. 

Now  it  is  late  afternoon.  A  shower  just  over 
has  made  clear,  brimming  pools  of  the  hollows  in  the 
worn,  blue  flagstones  of  the  quadrangle  walks.  The 
sun  bursts  out  from  behind  a  scurrying  white  cloud 
and  the  little  silver  lakes  mistily  reflect  the  azure 


104  Concerning  Cornell 

of  the  sky.  The  air  has  been  washed  clean  by  the 
late  downpour;  it  is  cool  and  fragrant  with  the 
scent  of  the  freshened  vegetation.  Stragglers  from 
afternoon  laboratory  classes  emerge  from  the  vari- 
ous hallways,  wherein  they  lurked  during  the  rain, 
and  continue  their  interrupted  way.  The  arched 
boughs  of  the  graceful  elms,  the  deep  green  of  the 
ivy  covered  walls  and,  at  the  end  of  the  vista,  the 
gray  spire  of  the  library  tower,  all  contribute  to 
make  the  scene  a  truly  idyllic  episode.  We  feel  we 
are  in  college  precincts,  it  is  the  enchantment  of  the 
Cornell  campus  that  has  here  concentrated  itself 
in  a  single  perspective,  and  will  continue  always 
to  hold  us  by  its  charm  as  it  does  each  under- 
graduate and  alumnus  of  alma  mater,  Cornell. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  FOUNDER— EZRA  CORNELL 

EZRA  CORNELL,  the  founder  of  Cornell 
University  was  born  at  Westchester  Landing, 
Westchester  County,  New  York,  January  11,  1807. 
Westchester  Landing  was  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Bronx  river.  The  place  is  now  called  Cornell 
Neck  and  is  a  part  of  New  York  City. 

It  has  become  the  fashion  of  late  to  discount 
the  claims  of  New  England  historians  as  to  the  part 
their  ancestors  had  in  the  development  of  this 
country.  Whether  or  not  these  claims  can  be 
justified,  with  regard  to  the  whole,  certain  it  is  that 
Ezra  Cornell  did  not  have  a  minor  role  in  the 
drama,  nay  pageant;  and  his  forbears  were  in- 
dubitably of  New  England  stock  for  generations 
back.  His  coadjutor  in  the  founding  of  Cornell 
University,  Andrew  D.  White,  though  he  may  have 
been  introduced  to  Bismarck,  so  the  story  runs,  as 
one  "born  in  Homer,  reared  in  Syracuse,  president 
of  a  college  at  Ithaca, "  was  similarly  of  a  long  line 
of  New  England  ancestors. 

Ezra  Cornell's  father  and  grandfather  were 
both  named  Elijah,  and  were  born  and  reared  in 
Bristol  County,  Massachusetts,  near  the  town  of 
Swansea.  His  grandmother,  too,  Sarah  Miller,  had 
been  brought  up  in  that  neighborhood.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen,  Ezra's  father  was  indentured  to  Asa 
Chase  of  Somerset,  Bristol  County,  Massachusetts, 
to  learn  the  potter's  trade.    Though  of  humble 


106  Concerning  Cornell 

parentage  and  station  in  life,  Elijah  Cornell  was  not 
uneducated,  as  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he 
taught  school,  both  as  a  young  man  and  in  his  later 
days.  On  July  4,  1805,  he  married  Eunice  Barn- 
ard, daughter  of  a  retired  New  Bedford  whaler,  at 
New  Britain,  New  York,  at  a  Friends  or  "Quaker's" 
meeting,  to  which  religious  sect  both  the  bride  and 
groom  and  their  parents  belonged.  At  the  time  of 
his  marriage  Elijah  Cornell  was  thirty-four  years 
old,  had  been  living  in  Westchester  County,  New 
York,  and  shortly  after  removed  to  Westchester 
Landing,  where  Ezra  Cornell  was  born.  His  father 
and  his  elder  brother,  a  ship  carpenter,  meanwhile 
had  joined  forces  in  building  a  vessel  for  the 
Atlantic  coasting  trade,  unfortunately  lost  on  its 
first  voyage.  As  the  vessel  was  not  insured,  this 
disaster  cost  the  partners  the  greater  part  of  their 
savings  and  resulted  in  the  removal  of  Elijah 
Cornell  to  Madison  County,  New  York,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  on  Crum  Hill,  about  three  miles 
to  the  east  of  the  village  of  DeRuyter. 

A  settlement  of  "Quakers"  no  doubt  attracted 
the  elder  Cornell  to  DeRuyter,  but  the  locality  did 
not  prove  a  profitable  field  of  labor.  Accordingly 
he  returned,  after  three  years,  to  Westchester 
County,  to  work  at  his  trade  of  potter,  earning, 
however,  only  ten  dollars  per  week.  Later,  follow- 
ing the  same  calling,  he  was  employed  at  Tarry- 
town  and  then  at  West  Farms.  Ezra  Cornell,  the 
founder,  says  his  earliest  recollections  are  asso- 
ciated with  Tarry  town.  He  remembers  that  "one 
Sunday  'everybody'  turned  out  and  went  up  the 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell    107 

turnpike  to  see  the  soldiers  march  through  who 
were  'going  to  the  lines/  this  was  probably  in  1812. " 
[Page  1  of  an  incomplete  manuscript  autobiog- 
raphy written  out  for  S.  I.  Prime,  dated  June  9, 
1873.]  Also  more  happily:  "The  illumination  of 
the  village  of  West  Farms  at  the  proclamation  of 
peace  occurred  when  we  lived  there  and  I  well 
remember  it  and  the  great  rejoicing  of  the  people 
for  the  return  of  peace."  In  1817  Ezra's  father 
moved  to  near  Englewood,  New  Jersey,  and  set 
up  earthenware  manufacture  in  partnership  with 
Edward  Marshall ;  but  competition  and  depression 
of  the  business  proved  so  severe  that  in  1818  he 
sold  out  and  once  more  removed  to  DeRuyter. 

The  journey  from  New  Jersey  to  DeRuyter, 
"up  country, "  was  made  with  a  two-horse,  covered 
wagon,  and  was  for  the  most  part  through  an  un- 
inhabited wilderness,  in  almost  a  straight  line 
across  an  exceedingly  rough,  and  still  a  difficultly 
accessible,  part  of  New  York  State.  Young  Ezra, 
now  twelve,  the  oldest  of  six  children,  must  have 
driven  the  team  at  times,  and  thus  early  been 
inured  to  pioneer  life,  for  the  journey  took  about 
three  weeks  of  November  and  December,  1818, 
for  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  they  traveled. 

Farming  having  proved  again  unprofitable,  by 
itself,  the  father  set  up  an  earthenware  pottery  on 
his  own  place  and  marketed  the  product  in  the 
neighborhood,  where,  owing  to  the  remoteness  of 
the  locality,  his  goods  had  a  ready  sale  for  years. 
In  the  work  of  the  shop,  as  well  as  on  the  farm,  he 
used  the  labor  of  his  sons,  and  was  thus  able  to 


108  Concerning  Cornell 

maintain  in  comfort  and  contentment  what  event- 
ually became  a  family  of  eleven  children. 

Ezra,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  with  the  aid  of  a 
brother  one  year  his  junior,  cleared  and  planted  to 
corn  four  acres  of  land  that  had  been  a  beech  and 
maple  woodland,  between  March  1st  and  May  15th, 
in  payment  for  the  privilege  of  attending  school 
during  the  December,  January  and  February  pre- 
ceding. That  summer  Ezra's  father  employed  a 
carpenter  to  erect  buildings  for  the  pottery  on 
his  farm;  Ezra  helped  this  man  in  the  work,  and 
shortly  discovered  a  mistake  in  the  layout — so 
early  did  he  show  an  aptitude  for  mastering  me- 
chanical problems.  In  the  next  year,  again  with 
the  assistance  of  the  younger  brother,  he  cut  the 
timber  for,  and  framed  a  two-story  dwelling  house 
for  his  family.  It  was  the  best  in  the  place  when 
built.  The  neighbors,  asked  to  assist  in  the  raising 
of  the  structure,  as  was  the  custom,  marveled  at 
the  perfection  of  the  work  of  the  young  builder  who 
had  so  achieved  without  instruction  or  supervision, 
and  the  feat  won  him  an  enviable  reputation  for 
practical  ability  in  the  neighborhood. 

His  success  aroused  in  Ezra  the  ambition  to  set 
up  for  himself.  Accordingly,  at  eighteen,  he  left 
the  parental  roof,  and  proceeded  to  Syracuse,  some 
thirty  miles  northwest  of  DeRuyter.  At  Syracuse 
he  found  employment  as  carpenter,  and  within 
three  months  after  he  left  home  was  engaged  in 
contracting  for  himself.  Then  he  went  to  Homer, 
where  he  was  employed  for  one  year  in  a  machine 
shop.    Homer  was  about  twenty  miles  from  De- 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  109 

Ruyter,  and  Ezra  frequently  walked  home  on 
Saturday  night  and  returned  to  his  work,  also  on 
foot,  the  following  Monday  morning. 

Learning  that  Ithaca,  New  York,  was  waxing 
prosperous  on  account  of  its  connection,  through 
Cayuga  Lake,  with  the  newly  completed  Erie 
Canal,  Ezra,  in  his  twenty -first  year,  set  out, 
again  on  foot,  for  that  place  from  his  home  at 
DeRuyter;  and,  after  the  journey  of  about  forty 
miles,  in  April,  1828,  arrived  at  the  settlement,  of 
then  about  two  thousand  people,  that  was  to  be 
his  future  home.  Ithaca,  was,  indeed,  at  the 
time,  a  thriving  community;  for  all  the  country 
to  the  south  of  it,  as  far  as  Binghamton,  New 
York,  and  Towanda,  Pennsylvania,  sent  to  Ithaca 
their  lumber  and  grain  for  shipment  to  eastern 
markets,  and  received  in  return  a  variety  of  mer- 
chandise from  distant  points  (particularly  salt 
from  Syracuse)  and  land  plaster,  gypsum,  then 
much  used  as  a  fertilizer,  from  local  quarries  along 
Cayuga  Lake.  Ithaca,  accordingly,  enjoyed  all 
the  advantages  of  a  terminal  point  such  as,  on  a 
larger  scale,  have  made  Buffalo  prosperous  until 
today.  Since  this  was  before  the  advent  of  rail- 
roads the  immense  amount  of  teaming  necessary 
made  a  constant  stream  of  traffic  over  the  roads 
extending  southward  from  the  town. 

On  his  arrival  in  Ithaca,  the  young  mechanic 
was  possessed  only  of  fifteen  dollars  and  a  spare 
suit  of  clothes.  He  was,  however,  immediately 
able  to  secure  employment  in  the  machine  shop 
of  the  cotton  factory  of  Otis  Eddy,  which  stood 


no  Concerning  Cornell 

on  what  is  now  the  site  of  Cascadilla  Dormitory. 
It  seems  that  Ezra  had  known  the  proprietor, 
Mr.  Otis  Eddy,  earlier,  at  DeRuyter  and  had 
been  influenced  by  him  to  come  to  Ithaca,  though 
apparently  not  with  any  promise  of  a  position. 
Having  proved  himself  competent  in  this  capacity, 
Ezra  was  in  the  next  year  invited  to  superintend 
the  overhauling  and  general  repair  of  Beebe's  flour 
and  plaster  mills  located  at  the  lower  end  of  Fall 
Creek  gorge,  just  across  the  bridge  from  Percy 
Field.  This  business,  too,  he  accomplished  suc- 
cessfully, and  as  a  result  came  into  the  employ 
of  Colonel  Beebe  for  some  twelve  years  from  1829 
to  1841.  (In  the  manuscript  autobiography, 
Ezra  Cornell  says  he  worked  for  Colonel  Beebe 
only  ten  years.)  During  the  latter  part  of  this 
period  he  became  confidential  agent  and  general 
manager  for  the  proprietor  and  in  this  connection 
acquired  an  extensive  knowledge  of  business. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  it  was  all  easy 
sailing  for  the  young  man,  Cornell,  from  the  time 
he  arrived  in  Ithaca,  on  through  these  years.  He 
himself  said  later  that  he  had  seen  the  time  when 
he  could  not  get  credit  in  Ithaca  for  a  bushel  of 
potatoes  or  a  bag  of  flour !  Shades  of  the  departed 
— what  a  change  today,  when  the  amount  of  credit 
available  to  any  student  in  his  university  is  such 
that  it  often  proves  to  be  the  individual's  undoing. 
Why  this  grinding  poverty  of  the  founder?  Be- 
cause he  never  ceased  loading  himself  with  further 
responsibilities.  In  that  phrase,  it  seems  to  the 
writer,  is  afforded  a   concise   summation   of  his 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  ill 

whole  life.  He  kept  taking  them  on,  those  re- 
sponsibilities, one  after  the  other,  each  greater 
than  the  one  preceding,  really  tremendous  ones  at 
the  last;  and  it  was  the  load  he  was  carrying  that 
eventually  weighed  him  down  into  the  grave  be- 
fore his  time.  Though  this  conception  of  his  ca- 
reer has  not  been  emphasized  by  others  it  may  be 
left  with  the  reader  to  judge  of  its  truth. 

Scarcely  had  he  gained  a  foothold  in  Ithaca  when 
he  married.  That  was  in  1831,  and  the  bride  was 
Mary  Ann  Wood,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Wood, 
resident  in  the  township  of  Dryden,  four  miles  from 
Ithaca,  but  formerly  of  DeRuyter,  where  Mary 
Ann  was  born.  Benjamin  Wood  was  a  native 
New  Englander,  born  in  Scituate,  Providence 
County,  Rhode  Island,  and  thus  in  Ezra's  mar- 
riage to  his  daughter  is  completed  the  chain  of 
New  England  ancestry  in  the  birth  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity. It  is  related  that  Mary  Ann  had  a  rival, 
one  Welthy  Russell,  who,  as  a  pun  on  her  name 
would  imply,  was  the  daughter  of  quite  well-to-do 
people;  and  Ezra  had  a  rival  in  Ben  Smith,  de- 
scribed as  a  dapper  young  fellow — this  when  all 
four  were  living  in  DeRuyter.  One  day  Welthy 
showed  Ezra  a  knick-knack  "frame"  that  Ben 
had  made  for  her  with  the  remark,  "Ezra,  does 
thee  think  thee  could  do  as  well  as  Ben  Smith 
has  done  this  ? "  Such  praise  for  an  insignificant 
trinket  must  have  disgusted  the  practical  Ezra  and 
it  seems  to  have  ruined  Welthy 's  chances.  Never- 
theless the  remark  rankled,  for  years  afterwards 
when  Ezra  had  won  fame  and  fortune,  and  when 


112  Concerning  Cornell 

Cornell  University  was  first  rising,  Welthy,  with 
a  natural  pride  in  the  eminence  of  a  former  De- 
Ruyter  boy,  came  to  Ithaca  to  see  his  works  and 
sought  him  out.  During  the  interview  the  found- 
er ventured  to  ask:  "Welthy,  does  thee  think  Ben 
Smith  could  and  would  have  done  as  well  as  this  ?  " 

While  Mary  Ann's  folks  were  by  no  means 
poor,  she  was  one  of  eleven  children,  hence  brought 
no  large  dowry  to  her  husband.  While  it  may  be 
questioned  whether  Ezra  Cornell  could  ever  have 
been  persuaded  to  regard  his  wife  in  any  sense  a 
responsibility,  still  he  probably  was  not  blind  to 
the  fact  that  the  nine  children  that  were  the  result 
of  their  union  made  a  considerable  demand  on  his 
income. 

Moreover  his  marriage  did  not  meet  with  the 
approval  of  his  home  people,  for  Mary  Ann  was  a 
"world's  woman"  while  Ezra  and  all  his  forbears 
were  " birthright' '  Quakers.  The  DeRuyter  so- 
ciety of  Quakers  to  which  Ezra  belonged,  on  hear- 
ing of  the  wedding,  accordingly  sent  one  of  its 
members  on  a  forty-mile  tramp  through  winter 
snow  to  inform  Ezra  that  he  had  been  "turned  out 
of  meeting"  for  "marrying  out,"  but  that  they 
would  reinstate  him  if  he  would  say  he  was  sorry — 
but  this  Ezra  indignantly  refused  to  do.  While 
at  heart  he  remained  a  Quaker  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  it  may  be  that  this  incident  had  much  to  do 
with  the  establishment  of  a  nonsectarian  pulpit  at 
Cornell. 

In  the  summer  after  his  marriage,  Ezra  bought 
several  acres  of  land  in  a  hollow  across  the  creek 


"The  Nook" 

Fzra  Cornell's  First  Home  in  Ithaca,  as  it  appeared  in  1907 


The  Lower  End  of  the  Tunnel 


The  First  Telegraph  Instrument 


Beebe  Dam  and  Beebe  Lake 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  113 

and  to  the  north  of  the  mills,  opposite  Percy 
Field,  and  there  built  a  small  house,  long  known 
as  "The  Nook,"  in  which  the  family  resided 
for  twenty  years.  It  was  far  from  commo- 
dious, this  first  own  rooftree  of  the  founder.  One 
room  served  as  a  living-room,  bedroom  and  kit- 
chen and  in  the  attic  above  it  the  children  slept. 
One  little  table,  only  large  enough  for  two,  was  all 
they  had  for  serving  their  meals.  Was  it  any  won- 
der that  Goldwin  Smith  found  Ezra  Cornell,  later, 
a  man  "eminently  plain,  frugal  and  abstemious  in 
his  own  habits. "  There  was  a  time,  not  so  very  far 
back,  when  the  dignity  of  labor  was  a  matter  for 
sentiment,  when  this  theme  was  commonly  the 
subject  of  prints  adorning  the  walls  of  homes.  The 
present  generation  in  the  midst  of  easy  living  had 
lost  all  due  legard  for  its  true  value,  and  it  needed 
a  world  war  to  bring  us  once  more  to  a  realization 
that  the  toil  of  the  farmer  and  the  mechanic  is  the 
fundamental  measure  of  production,  and  that  we 
need  to  pay  due  meed  to  their  station  in  life. 
Than  this,  the  humble  home  of  the  founder  needs 
no  further  apology. 

At  seventeen  young  Ezra  " undertook' '  to  clear 
off  the  woods  and  plant  their  area  to  corn,  at  seven- 
teen he  undertook  to  build  a  two-story  house,  at 
eighteen  he  undertook  to  shift  for  himself,  at 
twenty-two,  to  overhaul  a  mill,  at  twenty-four,  to 
marry,  and  in  the  same  year  to  drive  a  tunnel 
through  several  hundred  feet  of  solid  rock.  Per- 
haps the  last  two  undertakings  should  not  be  men- 
tioned in  the  same  category,  but  like  those  that 


1 1 4  Concerning  Cornell 

preceded  it  they  were  untried  and  new  things,  all 
successfully  accomplished. 

The  " tunnel"  is  perhaps  the  most  enduring 
monument  of  the  founder's  own  labors  that  exists 
about  the  university.  When  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Colonel  Beebe,  all  the  mills  then  supplied 

with  power  by 
the  Ithaca  Falls 


secured  their 
water  through 
a  wooden  flume 
attached  to  the 
overhanging 
rock  cliffs  on 
the  south  side 
of  the  stream. 
This  structure 
was  constantly  in  need  of  repairs,  its  annual 
maintenance,  consequently,  involved  a  consider- 
able charge,  and  the  work  itself  was  dangerous 
on  account  of  the  exposed  situation.  Further- 
more, ice  frequently  interrupted  the  flow  of  the 
water  in  winter.  It  remained  for  Ezra  Cornell 
to  find  a  permanent  solution  of  these  difficulties 
by  means  of  a  tunnel,  through  the  rock  cliff,  that 
would  provide  an  uninterrupted  flow  of  water 
from  a  point  above  the  falls,  over  a  rock  bed,  di- 
rectly to  the  mills.  The  several  owners  were  at 
first  skeptical  of  the  plan  but  finally  agreed  to 
provide  the  necessary  funds  for  its  execution. 
Though  without  experience  in  such  work,  Ezra 
was  nevertheless  put  in  charge,  and,  proceeding 


SITE    OF    THE    TUNNEL 
Upper  entrance  i9  at  ba3e  of  cliff  in  distance  on  left 


The  Founder— Ezra  Cornell    i  i  5 

from  both  ends  at  once,  managed  so  well  that  the 
two  excavations  met  in  the  center  of  the  cut  only 
a  few  inches  out  of  line;  and  the  total  cost  was 
below  the  estimated  figure.  This  tunnel  has  ever 
since  continued  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  designed  and  at  little  or  no  cost  for  upkeep. 
As  essentially  the  same  plan  has  been  adopted  for 
the  most  modern  of  the  power  plants  at  Niagara 
Falls,  it  would  seem  that  Ezra  was  at  a  very  early 
age  capable  of  seeing  the  best  means  to  an  end,  at 
any  rate  where  engineering  practice  was  involved. 
It  was  Ezra,  also,  who  engineered  the  construction 
of  the  first  Beebe  Dam,  which  resulted  in  the  crea- 
tion of  a  storage  reservoir,  Beebe  Lake,  with  con- 
sequent insurance  of  an  even  flow  of  water  and 
provision  against  seasons  of  drought. 

That  he  was  hampered  in  carrying  out  his  in- 
novations by  the  preconceptions  of  how  things 
ought  to  be  done  entertained  by  the  workmen  he 
employed,  and  the  characteristic  way  in  which  he 
met  this  difficulty  are  indicated  by  the  following 
paragraph  from  his  autobiography.  "In  1838+39, 
I  built  a  flouring  mill  for  Mr.  Beebe  with  eight 
Runns  of  Stone.  This  mill  was  the  most  complete 
in  all  its  arrangements  of  any  mill  in  the  state  at 
that  time  and  was  undertaken  under  circum- 
stances which  led  me  to  refuse  to  employ  any  mill 
wright  or  any  man  who  had  ever  worked  on  a  mill. 
I  made  all  the  plans  and  drawings  for  the  mill, 
layed  out  the  work  and  made  all  the  patterns  for 
the  gearing  and  all  castings  with  my  own  hands 
and  generally  superintended  the  entire  work. " 


116  Concerning  Cornell 

In  the  year  1836-37,  the  United  States  suffered 
a  severe  financial  crisis,  and  as  a  result  of  this,  ow- 
ing to  the  general  depression  in  industry,  Colonel 
Beebe,  in  1841,  sold  his  mill  property,  which  was 
converted  into  a  woolen  factory,  and  Ezra  Cornell 
lost  the  position  he  had  held  for  twelve  years.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  in  later  years  Ezra  Cor- 
nell was  able  to  give  employment  to  his  former 
patron  (who  never  recovered,  financially,  from  the 
disaster  of  the  panic  period)  and  in  many  other 
ways  made  easy  the  declining  years  of  the  man 
who  had  given  him  his  confidence  in  youth. 

After  seeking  employment  for  several  months 
with  no  success,  Ezra  Cornell  determined  to  strike 
out  again  into  new  fields.  He  purchased  the  state 
patent  rights  for  Maine  and  Georgia  of  an  im- 
proved plow  and,  in  1842,  set  out  for  Maine  to  in- 
troduce the  new  invention.  In  this  connection  he 
sought  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  editor 
of  the  Maine  Farmer,  Mr.  F.  O.  J.  Smith,  then  a 
very  influential  man  in  that  state.  He  succeeded 
in  convincing  Smith  of  the  merits  of  the  plow  (one 
can  well  believe  that  it  must  have  been  a  worth 
while  device  if  the  practical  mechanic,  Ezra  Cor- 
nell thought  well  enough  of  it  to  purchase  an  in- 
terest in  it)  and  Smith  gave  the  plow  very  hand- 
some notices  in  his  paper.  Cordial  relations  were, 
consequently,  soon  established,  and  the  office  of 
the  paper  became  for  the  time  being  a  sort  of  head- 
quarters for  the  New  York  plow-agent. 

In  autumn  of  the  same  year,  1842,  he  visited 
Georgia.    After  arriving  at  Washington,  D.  C,  he 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  117 

chose  as  a  matter  of  economy,  because  he  liked  it, 
and  because  transportation  facilities  were  meagre, 
to  make  the  rest  of  the  trip  and  his  travels  in  the 
state  itself  on  foot;  in  all  about  fifteen  hundred 
miles  covered  at  an  average  rate  of  forty  miles  per 
day.  But  he  was  unable  to  persuade  the  southern 
farmers  to  give  his  plow  much  attention,  and  re- 
turned to  Ithaca  with  little  to  show  for  his  efforts. 
After  spending  a  few  months  at  home,  he  set  out, 
once  more  on  foot,  in  July,  1843,  for  Maine,  to 
close  up  his  plow  interests  in  that  state,  and  ar- 
rived at  Albany,  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  dis- 
tant, in  four  days'  time.  From  Albany  he  went  by 
rail  to  Boston  and  from  there  on  foot  to  Portland, 
another  one  hundred  miles,  made  in  two  and  one- 
half  days'  time.  He  said,  at  a  later  date,  that  if  he 
had  time  to  spend  in  pleasure  travel  he  would  pre- 
fer to  walk  wherever  satisfactory  arrangements  for 
baggage  transport  could  be  made,  and  that  the 
pedestrian  enjoys  unique  opportunities  for  really 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  country  through 
which  he  passes.  If  he  could  have  lived  to  be 
whirled  through  the  country  at  the  rate  of  thirty 
or  forty  miles  per  hour  in  an  automobile,  he  would 
have  been  convinced  more  than  ever  that  his  way 
was  best  for  actually  seeing  things. 

On  his  arrival  in  Portland,  Cornell,  of  course, 
immediately  sought  his  old  friend  Smith,  and  in 
so  doing  came  upon  that  gentleman  at  a  very  in- 
teresting juncture.  What  happened  he  himself 
set  down  in  a  memorandum  book,  and  in  view  of 
the  far-reaching  bearing  of  this  meeting  on  the 


1 1 8  Concerning  Cornell 

future  fortunes  of  Ezra  Cornell,  and  ultimately  on 
the  founding  of  Cornell  University,  it  is  well  that 
we  have  the  story  in  his  own  words: 

"I  found  Smith  on  his  knees  in  the  middle  of 
his  office  floor  with  a  piece  of  chalk  in  his  hand,  the 
mold-board  of  a  plow  lying  by  his  side,  and  with 
various  chalkmarks  on  the  floor  before  him.  He 
was  earnestly  engaged  in  trying  to  explain  some 
plan  or  idea  of  his  own  to  a  plow  manufacturer, 
who  stood  looking  on  with  his  good-natured  face 
enveloped  in  a  broad  grin  that  denoted  his  skepti- 
cism in  reference  to  Smith's  plans.  On  my  en- 
trance Mr.  Smith  arose,  and  grasping  me  cordially 
by  the  hand,  said:  'Cornell,  you  are  the  very  man 
I  wanted  to  see.  I  have  been  trying  to  explain  to 
neighbor  Robertson,  a  machine  that  I  want  made, 
but  I  cannot  make  him  understand  it;'  and  pro- 
ceeding, he  explained  that  he  wanted  a  kind  of 
scraper,  or  machine  for  digging  a  ditch,  'that  will 
leave  the  dirt  deposited  on  each  side,  convenient 
to  be  used  for  filling  the  ditch  by  means  of  another 
machine.  It  is  for  laying  our  telegraph  pipe  under- 
ground. The  ditch  must  be  two  feet  deep,  and 
wide  enough  to  enable  us  to  lay  the  pipe  in  the 
bottom  and  then  cover  it  with  the  earth.  Congress 
has  appropriated  $30,000  to  enable  Professor 
Morse  to  test  the  practicability  of  his  telegraph 
on  a  line  between  Washington  and  Baltimore.  I 
have  taken  the  contract  to  lay  the  pipe  at  $100 
per  mile,  and  must  have  some  kind  of  a  machine 
to  enable  me  to  do  the  work  at  any  such  price. ' 

"An  examination  of  a  specimen  of  the  pipe  to 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  119 

be  laid,  which  Mr.  Smith  showed  us,  and  a  little 
reflection,  convinced  me  that  he  did  not  want  two 
machines  as  he  said,  one  to  excavate,  and  the  other 
to  fill  the  trench  after  the  pipe  was  deposited.  I, 
therefore,  with  my  pencil  sketched  a  rough  diagram 
of  a  machine  that  seemed  to  me  adapted  to  his 
necessities.  It  provided  that  the  pipe,  with  the 
wires  enclosed  therein,  was  to  be  coiled  round  a 
drum  or  reel,  from  whence  it  was  to  pass  down 
through  a  hollow  standard,  protected  by  shives, 
directly  in  the  rear  of  a  coulter  or  cutter,  which 
was  so  arranged  as  to  cut  a  furrow  two  and  a 
half  feet  deep  and  one  and  one-fourth  inches  wide. 
Arranged  something  like  a  plow,  it  was  to  be  drawn 
by  a  powerful  team,  and  to  deposit  the  pipe  in  the 
bottom  of  the  furrow,  as  it  moved  along.  The 
furrow  being  so  narrow  would  soon  close  itself 
and  conceal  the  pipe  from  view. " 

After  some  effort  he  succeeded  in  convincing 
Smith  of  the  practicability  of  his  plan  and  was 
engaged  to  construct  the  machine.  It  is  regrettable 
that  there  has  not  been  constructed,  for  exhibit  at 
Cornell,  a  counterpart  of  this  apparatus  (if  the 
original  is  not  available)  for  its  invention  certainly 
marks  the  occasion  of  Ezra  Cornell's  entrance  into 
the  field  of  electric  telegraph  development  to  which 
he  was  to  contribute  so  many  other  ideas,  and  a 
business  from  which  he  derived,  eventually,  the 
large  fortune  that  was,  in  part,  to  make  possible 
the  establishment  of  Cornell  University. 

Shortly  before  the  completion  of  the  apparatus, 
Smith   became   so    enthusiastic   that   he   invited 


120  Concerning  Cornell 

Professor  Morse  to  come  and  see  it  tried.  This 
invitation  Morse  accepted,  and  at  that  time  first 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Cornell.  When,  on 
August  17,  1843,  the  first  trial  of  the  machine  was 
attempted  on  a  farm  near  Portland,  the  four  yoke 
of  oxen  that  had  been  secured  to  draw  it  proved 
quite  unruly  and,  when  they  once  started,  kept  on 
with  a  rush  for  a  much  longer  distance  than  it  had 
been  planned  that  they  should  go.  Smith  and 
Morse,  both  greatly  excited  by  the  commotion 
with  the  animals,  had  given  all  attention  to  their 
movements.  When  the  team  finally  came  to  a 
halt,  no  pipe  was  in  sight  either  on  the  drum  or 
along  the  ground.  This  caused  Smith  to  inquire 
anxiously  if  it  had  been  forgotten  to  put  the  pipe 
on  the  machine.  Ezra,  who  had  kept  his  eye  on 
his  handiwork,  regardless  of  the  antics  of  the  oxen, 
assured  them  that  the  pipe  was  in  the  ground  as 
planned.  Smith  was  still  in  doubt  and  directed  the 
driver  to  get  a  spade  and  dig,  and  the  pipe  was 
shortly  recovered  from  its  resting  place.  After  it 
had  been  rewound  on  the  drum,  a  second  trial,  at 
a  less  rapid  pace,  was  made  and  both  promoters 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  pipe  deposited  in 
the  earth  exactly  as  desired. 

This  gave  Smith  so  great  confidence  in  Ezra 
Cornell,  both  as  a  mechanic  and  practical  man, 
that  he  urged  him  to  go  to  Baltimore  and  take 
charge  of  the  laying  of  the  pipe.  At  first  Cornell 
was  disposed  to  decline  this  offer  as  it  necessitated 
abandoning  his  Maine  plow  business.  But,  he 
says,  "A  little  reflection,  however,  convinced  me 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  121 

that  the  telegraph  was  to  become  a  grand  enter- 
prise, and  this  seemed  a  particularly  advantageous 
opportunity  for  me  to  identify  myself  with  it." 
A  compromise  in  regard  to  the  settlement  of  the 
Maine  business  was  made,  and  October,  1843, 
found  Cornell  actively  engaged  in  laying  the  test- 
line  of  pipe  between  Baltimore  and  Washington.  It 
is  of  interest,  in  view  of  the  way  that  the  telegraph 
wires  still  follow  the  tracks,  to  record  that  it  was 
decided  that  the  best  route  and  place  for  the  pipe 
would  be  between  the  double  tracks  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  railroad.  This  was  perhaps  the 
first  step  toward  the  later  close-linking  of  rail- 
road and  telegraph  interests  all  over  the  United 
States. 

It  had  not  been  realized,  however,  how  vital 
and  difficult  a  matter  the  effective  insulation  of  the 
telegraph  wires  was,  especially  when  placed  under- 
ground. Had  this  been  understood  at  first,  it  is 
quite  probable  that  much  more  care  would  have 
been  given  to  the  making  of  the  cable,  and  then  we 
would  not  have  had  to  endure  all  these  years  the 
unsightly  poles  that  still  everywhere  mar  the  land- 
scape. For  had  it  been  possible  to  make  the  primi- 
tive line  work  underground,  it  is  quite  probable 
that  the  telegraph  and  telephone  in  all  their  later 
developments  would  have  staid  underground.  In- 
terestingly enough,  it  was  Ezra  Cornell  who  con- 
stantly warned  the  inventor  and  his  scientific 
assistants  that  their  insulation  tests  were  incon- 
clusive, but  these  advances  were  rebuffed.  As  an 
instance  of  how  thoroughly  Ezra,  in  the  mean- 


122  Concerning  Cornell 

while,  had  mastered  electrical  technique  it  may  be 
related  that,  finding  professional  jealousy  too  great 
to  permit  advantage  being  taken  of  his  suggestions, 
he  finally  concluded  to  make  a  test  on  his  own 
account. 

The  method  of  Cornell's  test  marks  his  apti- 
tude in  the  new  field.  Each  pipe  contained  four 
wires,  one  each  black,  red,  green  and  yellow. 
These  Morse's  assistants  tested  by  attaching  a 
battery  to  the  black  and  red  wires  and  completing 
the  circuit  with  a  galvanometer  at  the  other  end 
of  the  section  attached  to  the  same  wires.  If  a  cur- 
rent was  recorded  the  section  of  pipe  was  passed  as 
satisfactory.  Convinced  that  this  test  was  inade- 
quate, Cornell  persuaded  the  man  in  charge  of  the 
battery  to  go  out  with  him  at  midnight  for  a  surrep- 
titious trial  of  his  own  devising,  namely  to  connect 
the  black  and  red  wires  to  the  battery  and  then, 
at  the  other  end,  a  mile  distant,  to  attach  the 
green  and  yellow  wires  to  the  galvanometer.  As 
he  had  expected  this  gave  a  strong  current  and 
proved  conclusively  that  the  insulation  was  im- 
perfect. 

The  self-appointed  midnight  testers  did  not, 
however,  dare  tell  Morse  of  the  results  of  their 
experiment.  Consequently  the  laying  of  the  pipe 
continued  uninterrupted  until  about  ten  miles  of 
the  line  had  been  put  underground.  By  that  time, 
Morse  had  become  apprised  of  the  situation  and 
there  occurred  a  little  scene,  so  graphically  de- 
scribed by  Cornell  that  it  is  here  inserted  in  fac- 
simile of  his  own  handwriting. 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  123 

JSZ^  < — (WA  *~^~—  f***rv*z>  «^*Aac=^.   —  *./*;*£•* 
,  J^-  <t^^/-<^bf-"  ~~3-J  a*^x-  <>~-  A-=^t  -^-y  y^^tA^  og^/^yj^j.  rex 


ir*//**?-/^^  "US-    Cci^,    *~+-   L+~'fu^  ^^cr  /s-  ~sr^^.  J~~*^    X& 


Ta£**AS  JT~~j    a+Zju..    J  sfrputs  *~^-  *^~  «~w«:  ^'—    -**^- 


/-  •"?*-?  ** 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WRECKING  OF  THE  PIPE   LAYING   MACHINE 

From  uncompleted  manuscript  autobiography 

It  has  been  intimated  that,  because  of  the  de- 
ficiencies of  his  early  education,  "Cornell  had  not 
great  book-learning, "  and  that,  on  account  of  his 
many  years  of  manual  labor,  "when  his  stiff  hand 
wrote  a  letter  he  might  spell  no  better  than  William 


124  Concerning  Cornell 

Shakespeare."  [W.  H.  Corbin,  "Ezra  Cornell- 
Centennial  Address."]  But  Cornell's  aptitude  in 
mastering  the  technique  of  electrical  circuits  from 
books,  and  the  easy  hand  of  the  manuscript  here 
reproduced  rather  completely  negative  such  state- 
ments. On  the  other  hand  it  was  Ezra  Cornell  who 
wrote  to  Andrew  D.  White,  the  scholar,  as  follows: 
"I  hope  you  will  write  often,  in  case  I  can  read 
what  you  write.  You  know  I  have  no  time  to 
waste."  Nor  does  it  seem  plausible  that  his  pre- 
cise utterance  was  due  to  the  fact  that  "every 
word  was  apparently  slowly  and  painfully  thought 
out. "  [Hewett,  "  Cornell  University — A  History  " 
Vol.  I,  p.  60.]  There  is  evidence  that  he  was  not 
at  all  unready  in  speech.  On  the  occasion  of  the 
first  Founder's  Day,  January  11,  1869,  he  was 
presented  with  a  birthday  cake.  The  speaker 
who  had  the  honor  of  tendering  the  gift  remarked 
among  other  things  that  it  was  from  "a  lady 
friend."  [Wilder,  Cornell  Era,  May,  1907.]  In 
receiving  the  gift,  Ezra  Cornell  very  aptly  made 
answer  to  this  by  saying,  "This  splendid  cake  sur- 
passes in  beauty  and  excellence  all  presents  I  have 
received  from  ladies,  excepting  those  which  have 
been  presented  to  me  from  time  to  time  by  the 
lady  at  my  side,  my  good  and  beloved  wife," — a 
sentiment  well  worthy  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  of  a 
later  generation,  than  whom  few  were  more  ready 
of  speech. 

When  it  was  finally  decided  that  the  plan  of 
placing  the  wires  underground  would  not  be  possi- 
ble within  the  limitations  of  the  fund  placed  at 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  125 

Morse's  disposal  by  Congress,  some  other  solution 
had  to  be  found.  Painful  economy  was  now  neces- 
sary and,  again  in  opposition  to  the  experts, 
Cornell  proved  the  practicability  of  removing  the 
wires  from  their  lead  covering  without  melting  the 
latter.  Moreover,  he  set  himself  at  the  task  of 
more  completely  mastering  electrical  science  and 
managed  to  secure  the  necessary  books,  despite  an 
attempt  on  the  part  of  one  of  the  scientific  staff  to 
thwart  his  purpose.  From  this  reading,  Cornell 
became  convinced  that  the  wires  would  need  to  be 
placed  on  poles  and  it  was  not  long  before  Morse 
informed  him  that  he  had  come  to  the  same  con- 
clusion. Then  arose  the  question  of  insulators,  and 
once  more  a  suggestion  of  Cornell's  was  at  first 
vetoed,  in  favor  of  the  design  of  one  of  the  expert 
staff,  only  to  be  adopted  later,  when  consultations 
with  eminent  electricians  proved  it  to  be  the  only 
feasible  solution.  Cornell,  on  the  reorganization  of 
the  work,  was,  accordingly,  appointed  Assistant 
Superintendent  of  the  Telegraph,  in  charge  of  the 
work,  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  The 
wires  were  put  on  poles  and  the  line  completed  by 
May  1,  1844.  Then  was  sent  the  historic  first 
message :  "What  hath  God  wrought ! "  (Ezra  Cor- 
nell insists  that  many  other  messages  must  have 
been  sent  before  this  one  could  have  been  sent,  and 
that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  such  a  message  having 
been  sent  at  all  except  from  the  newspaper  stories 
printed  long  afterwards.)  Shortly  after  this  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  assembled  in 
Baltimore  and  telegrams  of  the  proceedings  were 


126  Concerning  Cornell 

sent  to  Washington,  causing  great  excitement 
among  members  of  Congress,  who  crowded  the 
basement  room  in  the  Capitol  where  the  telegraph 
instrument  was  located.  The  exploit  demonstrated 
the  practical  value  of  the  invention  and,  in  a  popu- 
lar sense,  convinced  the  public  of  its  success. 

But  a  fortune  was  not  yet  in  sight  for  its  pro- 
moters. The  instruments  devised  by  Morse  could 
only  with  difficulty  be  made  to  work  over  the  forty 
mile  circuit.  When  tried  on  a  hundred  mile  circuit 
from  Philadelphia  to  New  York  they  failed  utterly, 
according  to  Ezra  Cornell's  written  word,  and  it 
was  Cornell,  the  self-taught  electrical  expert,  who 
supplied  the  improvement  to  make  them  work. 
Congress,  on  recommendation  of  the  Postmaster- 
General,  to  whom  the  matter  was  referred,  never- 
theless declined  to  purchase  the  patent  rights  for 
the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The 
line  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  was  built  by  a 
private  company  composed  for  the  most  part  of 
men  who  had,  comparatively,  but  small  wealth.  In 
the  construction  of  this  line  Cornell  was  employed 
as  superintendent,  at  a  salary  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  five  hundred  of  which  he  immediately  in- 
vested in  stock  of  the  company.  This  line  was 
completed  in  1845;  in  the  same  year  a  line  from 
New  York  to  Boston  and  another  from  Albany  to 
New  York  were  projected.  The  section  from  New 
York  to  Albany  was  built  under  contract  by 
Cornell,  in  1846,  and  from  this  venture  he  realized 
six  thousand  dollars,  the  first  big  money  he  had 
been  able  to  acquire  after  thirty-nine  years  of  in- 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  127 

cessant  hard  labor.  Shortly  thereafter,  however, 
he  made  large  profits  on  lines  into  Canada  and  thus 
laid  the  foundations  of  his  fortune.  Yet  when  he 
undertook  to  extend  the  telegraph  field  more  wide- 
ly, by  connecting  up  Chicago  with  the  east,  in 
1847,  and  trusted  to  stock  subscriptions  from 
towns  along  the  route  and  in  Chicago,  he  found 
it  impossible  to  raise  a  single  dollar  in  the  terminal 
point,  and  once  more  was  compelled  to  shoulder  a 
vast  responsibility  by  investing  all  his  available 
funds  and  obligating  himself  for  a  large  amount 
more  to  carry  through  the  enterprise.  In  this,  too, 
he  was  successful,  and  his  son,  A.  B.  Cornell,  rails 
at  the  marvelous  change  that  had  come  over 
Chicago,  which  in  1847,  he  writes,  "was  unable  or 
unwilling  to  take  a  share  of  the  telegraph  stock" 
but  now  "in  this  year  of  the  Lord,  1884,  the  citizens 
of  Chicago  are  paying  at  least  three  thousand 
dollars  per  day  for  telegraph  service."  It  would 
be  unfair  to  estimate,  in  similar  terms,  how  much 
more  vastly  the  citizens  of  Chicago  are  humbled 
by  the  telegraph  tolls  they  pay  today. 

The  next  company  Cornell  organized  was  not, 
however,  so  fortunate.  This  was  a  line  from  Dun- 
kirk to  New  York,  and,  encouraged  by  his  previous 
successes,  he  urged  his  friends  to  take  stock  in  the 
new  enterprise.  All  would  have  gone  well  if  a 
novel  type  of  insulator,  again  devised  by  experts 
of  that  day,  had  not  broken  down  in  service,  with 
the  result  that  the  company  failed.  Why  does  this 
always  happen  when  friends  and  family  connec- 
tions of  the  promoter  have  been  induced  to  come 


128  Concerning  Cornell 

into  the  project  ?  But  by  this  time  the  advantage 
of  the  telegraph  was  duly  appreciated  by  many 
businesses  and  succeeding  ventures  proved  profit- 
able. In  the  west  where  mails  were  slow  its  intro- 
duction proved  especially  acceptable.  Then  a  new 
danger  developed.  Despite  the  protection  the 
original  companies  felt  they  had  acquired  in  pur- 
chasing the  patent  rights,  pirate  parallel  lines  were 
built  and  a  ruinous  competition  for  business  en- 
sued. In  1854  this  reached  its  height,  and  in  that 
year  Ezra  Cornell  met  with  an  extremely  painful 
railroad  accident,  an  injury  to  his  hand  and  arm, 
that  kept  him  for  several  weeks  in  confinement. 
This  gave  an  opportunity  for  his  rivals  to  spread 
reports  that  Cornell  was  insolvent  and  to  make 
attempts  to  gather  in  his  telegraph  stock.  Fortu- 
nately these  attacks  did  not  succeed  to  any  great 
extent  and,  in  1855,  under  the  leadership  of  Hiram 
Sibley,  a  consolidation  of  interests  was  effected 
by  the  organization  of  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company,  which  Andrew  Carnegie,  him- 
self ex-telegraph  messenger,  who  ought  to  know, 
considered  the  first  American  "Trust."  It  was 
only  by  dint  of  much  persuasion,  however,  that 
Cornell  was  induced  to  merge  his  interests  with 
that  of  the  combine.  Originally  a  "western" 
company  it  soon  recognized  no  limit  to  its  opera- 
tions other  than  the  continent  of  America,  and, 
being  for  fifteen  years  the  largest  individual  stock- 
holder, its  success  finally  provided  Ezra  Cornell 
with  the  fortune,  estimated  at  two  million  dollars, 
that  he  was  to  devote  to  so  good  purpose. 


Ezra  Cornell 

From  ;i  hitherto  unpublished  photograph,  apparently  taken  in  1857 
when  Cornell  hud  just  come  into  tits  fortune 

Courtesy  of  Mr.  F.  C.  Cornell 


Ezra  Cornell 

From  a  photograph  made  in  1874,  shortly  before  his  death 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  129 

The  merger  of  the  telegraph  interests,  in  addi- 
tion to  securing  for  him  a  large  fortune  and  a  pro- 
portionately great  income,  also  assured  to  Ezra 
Cornell  a  far  larger  measure  of  leisure  than  the 
grinding  necessity  of  his  early  years,  and  the  unre- 
mitting labors  required  in  the  amassing  of  his 
wealth,  had  ever  before  permitted  him  to  enjoy. 
The  central  control  by  the  combine  relieved  him 
of  the  burden  of  watching  over  the  separate  in- 
terests of  each  of  the  many  companies  in  which  he 
had  invested.  But,  assured  of  this  leisure,  and 
with  an  income  that  was  truly  of  princely  magni- 
tude for  those  days,  he  scarcely  remained  idle  for 
a  moment  from  that  time  on  until  the  day  of  his 
death,  and  his  future  labors  were  all  to  be  for  the 
benefit   of   the   community,   both   near   and   far. 

Many  men  have  endured  as  great  hardships, 
struggled  as  persistently  and  worked  as  unremit- 
tingly, as  did  Ezra  Cornell,  for  their  own  advance- 
ment in  wealth,  in  power,  in  renown;  and  no  great 
merit  need  be  accorded  them  for  their  eventual 
successes.  But  Ezra  Cornell  is  in  a  different  class. 
As  soon  as  he  had  achieved  for  himself  he  faced 
right  about,  and,  in  the  same  determined  and  self- 
immolating  way,  literally  fought  to  secure  for 
others  some  of  the  privileges  that  had  been  denied 
his  youth.  It  is,  moreover,  apparent  that  from  an 
early  date  he  was  able  to  perceive  exactly  the 
things  within  his  power  that  were  best  calculated 
to  be  of  benefit  to  the  public,  and,  as  the  preceding 
paragraphs  have  been  a  record  of  multiplying  re- 
sponsibilities in  the  pursuit  of  personal  fortune 


130  Concerning  Cornell 

that  came  to  a  climax  in  the  successful  combine  of 
the  telegraph  interests,  so  the  paragraphs  that 
follow  are  in  the  main  a  recital  of  a  piling  up  of 
other  burdens,  undertaken  for  the  general  good, 
that  came  to  a  climax  only  at  his  death. 

From  the  first  he  perceived  and  wrought  for 
those  things  that  would  yield  a  return  far  in  excess 
of  the  initial  outlay.  Thus,  in  1840,  when  his 
means  were  most  slender,  he  purchased  at  a  cattle- 
show  a  fine,  thoroughbred,  Short  Horn  bull,  pure 
bred  Southdown  sheep  and  Berkshire  pigs,  and 
improved  through  them  the  stock  of  Tompkins 
County  farmers;  stock  that  still  continues  to  have 
an  enviable  reputation  among  growers,  and  owes 
its  excellence,  no  doubt,  in  large  part  to  this  initial 
impulse  provided  by  Ezra  Cornell.  In  the  several 
acres  that  surrounded  his  small  home  on  Fall 
Creek,  he  developed  an  excellent  orchard  and  ac- 
quired a  high  standing  as  an  authority  on  the 
nature  of  insects  injurious  to  fruit,  and  methods  of 
combating  their  ravages.  When,  in  1857,  he  had 
become  possessed  of  a  fortune,  he  was  able  to  gratify 
these  desires  for  the  improvement  of  agriculture 
on  a  larger  scale.  Accordingly,  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres,  a  large  part  of  which 
was  subsequently  to  become  the  campus  of  Cornell 
University;  and  on  this  "Forest  Park"  estate  built 
a  residence,  established  fine  herds  and  conducted  a 
wide  variety  of  agricultural  experiments.  That  the 
name,  "Forest  Park, "  of  his  second  home-site,  was 
well  chosen  is  evident  from  the  setting  of  the  house 
in  a  sightly  grove,  at  what  is  now  the  northeast 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  131 

corner  of  Stewart  and  South  Avenues.  He  organ- 
ized a  Fanners'  Club  of  Ithaca  and  provided  it  with 
meeting  and  reading  rooms;  in  1858  was  made 
president  of  the  county  agricultural  society  and,  in 
1862,  became  president  of  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society.  In  that  capacity,  and  in  the 
same  year,  he  went  to  the  International  Exposition 
at  London  as  the  official  representative  of  the 
society.  This  was  the  only  opportunity  of  his  life- 
time for  travel  in  Europe,  and  in  the  interval  be- 
tween May  and  September,  in  addition  to  his 
duties  in  connection  with  the  exposition,  he  visited 
noted  herds  in  England,  made  observations  and 
purchases  of  the  stock,  and  made  a  trip,  several 
weeks  in  length,  through  the  continental  countries. 
It  is  not  surprising  that,  in  an  agricultural 
district,  the  value  of  the  services  of  such  a  man 
in  state  affairs  was  not  slow  in  getting  recognition. 
Hence  his  nomination,  in  1861,  by  the  Repub- 
licans for  member  of  the  Assembly  of  New 
York  State  from  Tompkins  County.  This  action 
was  taken  without  Mr.  Cornell's  knowledge,  so 
that,  when  elected,  and  reelected  the  next  year,  it 
may  be  said  that  he  volunteered  this  service  also. 
In  1863  he  was  elected  state  senator  and  served 
in  that  capacity  for  four  years,  positively  declining 
a  renomination  in  1867,  because  of  the  other  bur- 
dens he  had  meanwhile  been  shouldering.  In  the 
senate  he  first  met  Andrew  D.  White,  and  the 
eventual  result  of  their  acquaintance  was  the 
founding  of  Cornell  University,  as  is  detailed  else- 
where in  this  volume.    His  political  career,  it  will 


132  Concerning  Cornell 

be  noted,  extended  through  the  Civil  War  period, 
and  his  attention  as  legislator  during  this  time  was 
directed  first  to  all  those  acts  having  for  their  pur- 
pose the  sustaining  of  the  federal  authorities  in 
the  preservation  of  the  Union,  and  after  that  to 
legislation  bearing  on  the  welfare  of  agriculture  and 
public  education. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Ezra  Cornell  pro- 
ceeded in  his  efforts  to  remedy  difficulties  by  his 
benefactions  in  the  same  order  that  he  had  en- 
countered them  in  early  life;  it  seems  as  if  he  forgot 
no  step.  With  the  troubles  of  the  agriculturalist 
he  was  familiar  in  boyhood,  hence  his  first  aim  was 
to  improve  farm  conditions.  Then  he  seems  to 
have  remembered  how  meagre  was  his  opportunity 
to  secure  even  a  rudimentary  education,  particu- 
larly the  necessity  of  borrowing  books,  and  the 
difficulties  he  encountered  in  this  connection,  both 
in  Ithaca,  and  later  in  New  York  and  Washington 
when  he  wished  to  study  electricity.  Hence  the 
determination  to  found  a  free  library.  In  later  life 
he  had  been  impressed  by  the  great  value  of  a 
technical  education,  hence  his  determination  that 
this  should  be  available  to  poor  boys,  and,  as  a 
result,  the  crowning  achievement  of  his  career — 
the  founding  of  Cornell  University.  Finally,  real- 
izing from  his  own  success  in  promoting  the  tele- 
graph, that  rapid  interchange  of  thought  and  goods 
was  essential  for  national  development,  he  put  the 
whole  strength  of  his  mind  and  fortune  to  the  task 
of  railway  building. 

The  book  difficulty  he  solved  in  characteristic 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  13o 

fashion.  We  have  it  from  the  pen  of  no  less  an 
authority  on  the  subject  than  Andrew  Carnegie 
[Centennial  Address,  1907]  that  "to  Cornell  is  to 
be  awarded  the  credit  of  being  one  of  the  foremost 
to  establish  on  this  continent  a  library  free  to  all 
the  people. "  For  that  is  what  he  did,  and  the 
project  had  become  a  firm  purpose  in  his  mind  as 
early  as  1857,  almost  immediately  after  he  had 
become  possessed  of  the  means  to  accomplish  it. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say,  without  reviewing  the  devel- 
opment of  the  plan  in  detail,  that  in  1866  the 
Ithaca  Cornell  Library  was  presented  to  the  citizens 
of  his  home  town  as  an  institution  "  which"  (in  his 
own  words)  "shall  be  free  to  all  residents  of  the 
county  of  Tompkins."  At  a  cost  to  himself  of 
some  sixty -five  thousand  dollars,  he  provided,  not 
only  for  the  erection  of  a  building  to  house  the 
library,  but  also  for  the  first  lot  of  books  and  for 
its  maintenance,  thus  outdoing  the  illustrious 
Andrew,  who  praised  Cornell,  but  believed  that 
the  beneficiaries  should  bear  a  large  share  of  the 
cost. 

It  should  be  especially  noted,  also,  because  it 
presages,  in  a  significant  way,  the  similar  attitude 
he  took  in  regard  to  Cornell  University,  and  the 
profound  influence  this  attitude  has  had  on  all 
university  life  since,  that  the  management  of  the 
library  was  entrusted  to  a  board  of  trustees  ex- 
pressly selected  as  representative  of  all  creeds  and 
of  the  other  varied  interests  of  the  county.  It  was 
to  be  a  nonsectarian  institution  and  as  such  it  fore- 
shadows the,  even  more  definitely  fixed,  like  policy 


134  Concerning  Cornell 

adopted  in  the  management  of  the  university  that 
bears  his  name. 

In  the  years  that  followed,  Ezra  Cornell's  time 
was  almost  wholly  taken  up  with  the  affairs  of 
Cornell  University.  The  need  for  an  institution 
which  should  combine  "practical  with  liberal  edu- 
cation" [Ezra  Cornell,  "Opening  Address,"  Octo- 
ber 7,  1868]  must  have  been  in  his  mind  for  a  long 
time  if  the  following  incident,  related  by  Daniel 
Butterfield  [Founder's  Day  Address,  1898]  may  be 
interpreted  as  an  indication  that  he  appreciated  the 
value  of  such  teaching  at  the  time  of  the  occur- 
rence. It  seems  that  Butterfield  returning  to  his 
home  during  a  vacation  period  in  his  sophomore 
year  at  Union  College,  in  1844,  found  his  father 
entertaining  a  visitor,  a  tall,  straight  man  of  some 
thirty-seven  years,  who  asked  the  young  student 
many  pertinent  questions  regarding  the  instruction 
in  the  natural  sciences  and  chemistry  and  particu- 
larly about  the  magnetic  telegraph.  The  boy  was 
able  to  describe  this  apparatus  and  then  the  stran- 
ger asked  if  it  was  simple  and  easy  to  operate,  and 
Butterfield  junior  answered  that  any  young  man  or 
young  woman  of  sufficient  intelligence  to  learn 
piano  playing  could  do  it.  Then  the  stranger  said, 
"The  boy  has  got  it,  college  is  doing  him  good," 
and  brought  his  fists  to  the  table  with  emphasis. 
On  this  the  father  said,  "My  son,  this  is  Mr. 
Cornell,  and  we  are  going  to  build  a  telegraph  line 
from  New  York  to  Buffalo. "  That  the  impress  of 
this  incident,  and  probably  of  others  of  similar  na- 
ture that  are  unrecorded,  was  enduring  is  indicated 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  135 

by  the  fact  that  in  1850-54,  when  many  public 
bodies,  for  example  the  legislature  of  the  state  of 
Illinois,  were  addressing  memorials  to  Congress 
asking  that  grants  of  public  lands  be  made  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  industrial  and  agricultural 
schools,  Ezra  Cornell  was  in  active  correspondence 
with  Professor  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Illinois,  who  was  an 
earnest  advocate  of  this  idea,  in  regard  to  the  form 
and  scope  of  such  institutions.  [Hewett,  Cornell 
University — A  History.] 

In  1862,  as  President  of  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  Mr.  Cornell  was,  ex  officio,  a 
trustee  of  the  first  New  York  State  Agricultural 
College,  located  at  Ovid,  Seneca  County,  New 
York.  This  institution  had  been  started  by  lead- 
ing agriculturalists  of  the  state  and  its  resources 
consisted  of  a  loan  of  forty  thousand  dollars  from 
the  state  and  an  equal  sum  raised  by  private  con- 
tributions. These  funds  had  all  been  expended  in 
the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  erection  of  a  building. 
Its  doors  were  first  opened  to  students  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1860,  with  an  entering  class  numbering 
between  forty  and  fifty  and  a  faculty  of  five  pro- 
fessors. There  was,  however,  no  endowment  and 
little  equipment.  In  1861  the  Civil  War  began, 
and,  as  many  of  the  students  enlisted  and  the  insti- 
tution's affairs  were  languishing  financially,  the 
trustees  decided  not  to  reopen  that  fall,  and  this 
action  proved  to  be  the  end  of  its  career.  The 
object  of  the  institution  had,  however,  interested 
Cornell  greatly  and  when,  in  1865,  it  developed 
that  the  People's  College  at  Havana  could  not  ful- 


136  Concerning  Cornell 

fill  the  conditions  under  which  it  had  received  the 
Land  Grant  Fund,  Cornell  proposed  to  his  fellow 
trustees  of  the  Agricultural  College  that  he  would 
give  the  institution  three  hundred  thousand  dollars 
provided  that  the  college  be  removed  to  Ithaca 
and  that  it  receive  from  the  legislature  one-half  the 
income  of  the  Land  Grant  Fund. 

How  this  first  offer  to  the  cause  of  higher  edu- 
cation eventually  led  to  the  founding  of  Cornell 
University  is  related  in  another  section,  but  it  is 
interesting  to  note  here  Ezra  Cornell's  early  insist- 
ence on  Ithaca  as  a  university  site;  especially  in 
view  of  his  disinclination  to  have  his  own  name 
used  in  designating  the  institution  and  in  connec- 
tion with  a  story  current  in  the  early  days  of  the 
university.  It  is  related  by  Goldwin  Smith,  that 
Cornell  was  urged  to  locate  the  university  at  Syra- 
cuse on  account  of  the  superior  urban  facilities 
there  available,  but  that  he  refused  for  the  reason 
that,  when  a  mechanic,  he  had  once  waited  all  day 
on  the  bridge  at  Syracuse  to  be  hired  and  at  last 
had  been  hired  by  a  man  who  cheated  him  of  his 
wages.  It  should  be  remembered,  too,  that  in  all 
his  university  planning  he  had  in  mind  to  help 
those  in  as  narrow  circumstances  as  were  his  early 
days.  This  is  emphasized  by  a  sentence  from  his 
"Opening  Address":  "I  believe  that  we  have 
made  the  beginning  of  an  institution  which  will 
prove  highly  beneficial  to  the  poor  young  men  and 
poor  young  women  of  our  country. " 

From  the  time  when  he  made  the  first  offer  of 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  New  York 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  137 

State  Agricultural  College  until  the  charter  of 
Cornell  University  had  been  formally  granted 
(April,  1865)  the  realization  of  this  project  had 
been  the  chief  care  of  the  founder.  It  seems 
strange,  now,  that  he  should  have  been  compelled 
to  make  a  fight  for  the  privilege  of  giving  so  gener- 
ously to  the  cause  of  higher  education  and  that  he 
needed,  indeed,  to  endure  personal  villification  to 
achieve  his  philanthropy.  But  no  sooner  had  this 
been  accomplished  than  he  turned  to  the  still  great- 
er task  of  making  it  secure.  He  was  now  great,  in 
Ithaca,  where  he  had  been  little,  than  which  there 
is  said  to  be  no  keener  pleasure,  and  it  might  seem 
that  he  could  now  rest  content  and  let  others  care 
for  the  work  he  had  so  well  begun.  But  such  was 
not  Ezra  Cornell's  way.  Immediately  the  Land 
Grant  was  secured  for  Cornell  University  and  he 
had  visions  of  how  its  value  might  be  greatly  en- 
hanced, by  locating  desirable  western  lands  instead 
of  selling  scrip.  With  him  to  plan  was  to  do.  As 
the  state  was  not  permitted  to  make  locations  out- 
side its  own  boundaries,  as  the  university  could  not 
afford  to  do  so,  and  as  no  one  else  would,  he  set 
himself  to  the  task,  and  thus  entered  again  upon 
the  same  sort  of  arduous  toil  that  had  been  his 
portion  in  earlier  years.  His  agents  cheated  him, 
and  he  did  his  best  to  retrieve  their  faults  for  the 
benefit  of  the  university.  His  entire  personal  for- 
tune wavered  in  the  balance  but  he  held  steadfast 
to  his  purpose  not  to  sacrifice  any  particle  of  what 
had  been  so  dearly  won.  Two  years  before  the 
university  opened  its  doors  to  students,  he  had 


138  Concerning  Cornell 

entered  upon  the  task  of  realizing  this  greater  en- 
dowment for  Cornell  and  he  bore  the  burden  of 
personal  and  financial  responsibility  of  the  vast 
enterprise  for  eight  years.  It  was  only  a  few  weeks 
before  his  death,  in  1874,  that  he  was  relieved  from 
his  contract.  During  the  long  years  of  waiting  for 
the  pine  lands  to  bring  some  return,  the  university 
often  faced  bankruptcy.  Students  flocked  to  the 
institution,  crowding  its  limited  accommodations, 
professors  were  appointed,  but  there  was  not 
enough  money  to  pay  the  bills  and  salaries.  The 
year  1873  was  a  time  of  panic,  Ezra  Cornell  had 
broken  his  fortune  in  paying  taxes  on  the  lands, 
and  worse,  had  broken  his  health  in  the  service  of 
the  university;  the  trustees  had  loaned,  on  what 
seemed  worthless  security,  one  hundred  and  seventy 
thousand  dollars,  and  gave,  as  a  free  gift,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  more  to  tide  over 
emergencies.  And  yet,  as  the  founder  was  going 
down  into  his  grave,  he  held  fast  to  his  determina- 
tion that  the  lands  should  not  be  sacrificed,  and 
almost  his  last  words  were,  "Don't  give  up  my 
policy.  The  lands  will  yet  be  worth  three  millions 
of  dollars. "  And  while  this  fight  was  going  on  to 
save  Cornell  University  the  personal  attacks  upon 
Ezra  Cornell  reached  their  height. 

Meanwhile,  the  founder  had  burdened  himself 
with  still  another  responsibility,  the  financing  of 
several  railroad  lines,  and  this  burden  also  he 
shouldered  for  the  immediate  benefit  of  his  fellow 
citizens  of  Ithaca  and  the  ultimate  good  of  Cornell 
University.    When    Ezra    Cornell   first   came   to 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  139 

Ithaca  the  town  was  enjoying  unwonted  commer- 
cial prosperity  on  account  of  its  geographical  situa- 
tion with  respect  to  the  canal  and  lake  system  of 
transportation  which  at  that  time  afforded  the  only 
feasible  means  for  the  long  distance  conveyance  of 
bulk  goods.  Ithaca,  at  the  head  of  Cayuga  lake, 
was  the  shipping  center  for  all  the  products  of  those 
sections  of  New  York  State  and  northern  Pennsyl- 
vania lying  to  the  south  of  it,  over  a  quite  extensive 
east-west  range.  In  turn,  supplies  of  merchandise 
received  over  the  Erie  canal  and  Cayuga  lake  route 
for  this  quite  wide  territory  were  landed  at  Ithaca 
and  from  there  carried  to  their  final  destination  by 
the  teams  that  had  brought  the  grain,  coal  and 
lumber  for  export.  While  Ithaca  thus  commanded 
the  trade  of  its  hinterland  it  continued  to  be  the 
commercial  center  of  all  the  region  and  prospered 
accordingly.  But,  beginning  with  the  extension  of 
a  canal  from  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Seneca  to 
the  Susquehanna  river,  there  came  a  falling  off  in 
trade,  and  later,  when  the  Erie  railroad  was  built 
through  the  southern  tier  of  New  York  counties, 
with  branches  to  Syracuse  and  Canandaigua  on  the 
canal,  the  business  of  Ithaca  declined  until  it  was 
confined  almost  altogether  to  the  trade  of  its  own 
home  county  of  Tompkins.  So  complete  a  reversal 
of  conditions  as  Ithaca  suffered  has  seldom  been 
experienced  by  a  center  of  population.  From  the 
point  of  greatest  commercial  importance  in  its  sec- 
tion, Ithaca  became,  in  fact,  the  most  isolated  of 
local  villages  with  the  change  from  water  to  land 
routes.    The  traffic  that  had  formerly  flowed  along 


140  Concerning  Cornell 

this  one  chief  north  and  south  route  was  broken  up 
into  a  large  number  of  short,  local,  north  and  south, 
overland  feeders  to  the  east  and  west  railroad  lines, 
the  Erie  on  the  south,  and  the  New  York  Central 
on  the  north,  leaving  Ithaca  stranded  as  a  midway 
point  between  the  two  trunk  systems. 

Such  continued  to  be  the  situation  at  the  time 
of  the  founding  of  Cornell  Universit}'.  True,  a 
branch  line  railroad  between  Ithaca  and  Owego 
had  been  built,  connecting  the  town  with  the  Erie 
system,  and  steamboats  made  connection  in  sum- 
mer with  the  New  York  Central  at  the  northern 
end  of  the  lake.  But  at  best  these  were  sorry  con- 
veniences in  comparison  with  the  advantages  en- 
joyed by  places  on  the  main  lines.  Thus  Andrew 
D.  White  recounts  that  owing  to  the  necessity  of 
living  in  the  university  "barracks"  during  the 
first  few  years  of  the  institution's  existence,  he 
could  not  have  his  family  with  him,  accordingly 
devoted  to  them,  at  Syracuse,  the  time  from  Satur- 
day afternoon  until  Monday  morning.  In  summer 
the  trip  by  boat  to  the  train  that  this  necessitated 
was  not  so  bad,  as  it  was  possible  to  read  or  write 
en  route,  but  in  winter  he  had  to  drive  nearly 
twenty-five  miles  through  mud,  slush,  sleet  or  snow 
to  catch  the  train  at  Cortland.  One  such  journey 
took  ten  hours  and  the  sleigh  was  upset  three  times 
in  drifts  on  the  way. 

This  condition  was  early  recognized  as  the  most 
serious  embarrassment  of  the  location  of  the  uni- 
versity at  Ithaca.  As,  on  the  other  hand,  the  loca- 
tion in  his  home  town  had  been  about  the  only 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  hi 

personal  demand  made  by  the  founder,  it  is  natural 
that  he  must  have  felt  the  matter  keenly  and  set 
about  in  characteristic  way  to  remedy  it.  Thus 
in  1866  there  was  organized  the  Ithaca  and  Athens 
railway,  with  Mr.  Cornell  as  president,  to  connect 
with  the  Lehigh  railroad,  giving  an  outlet  to  New 
York  and  the  east.  While  this  road  afforded  some 
relief,  there  still  remained  the  urgent  demand  for 
adequate  connection  with  the  New  York  Central 
system.  About  this  time  a  law  was  passed  author- 
izing the  bonding  of  towns  and  villages  to  provide 
for  railroad  building,  and  under  this  stimulus  three 
other  roads  began  building,  one  along  the  east  side 
of  Cayuga  lake  to  Cayuga  bridge,  another  on  the 
west  side  of  the  lake  to  Geneva  and  a  third  from 
East  Hill  to  Cortland.  All  of  these  have  since  been 
merged  into  the  Lehigh  system.  For  these  projects 
the  town  and  village  of  Ithaca  bonded  themselves 
to  the  extent  of  six  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  easy  issuing  of  the  bonds  of  course  encour- 
aged other  towns  and  villages  also  to  encumber 
themselves  in  the  hope  of  achieving  commercial 
prosperity  and  the  net  result  was  undue  promotion 
and  speculation.  The  town  and  individual  sub- 
scriptions were  usually  only  sufficiently  large  to 
provide  for  right  of  way  and  grading,  leaving  all 
the  other  construction  work  and  equipment  to  be 
secured  by  mortgage  on  the  roads  themselves. 
Prices  on  materials,  owing  to  the  great  demand, 
rose  to  extravagant  figures,  and  the  excessive  costs 
involved  made  it  difficult  to  place  railway  bonds 
at  a  satisfactorv  rate. 


142  Concerning  Cornell 

Although  Ezra  Cornell  had  subscribed  liberally 
to  the  several  Ithaca  projects,  he  had  taken  no 
active  part  in  their  organization,  as  his  time  in  this 
period  was  more  than  occupied  in  conducting  the 
business  of  the  Land  Grant  contract,  the  location 
of  the  western  timberlands  and  their  management 
for  the  benefit  of  the  university.  Hence  it  was  only 
when  the  heads  of  the  Ithaca  and  Geneva  road, 
unable  to  secure  the  necessary  financial  assistance 
elsewhere,  appealed  to  Cornell  for  help,  that  he  was 
actively  drawn  into  the  enterprises.  First  he  was 
induced  to  invest  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars 
in  the  Ithaca  and  Geneva  project  to  provide  for  its 
completion,  and  later  a  similar  amount  in  the  Cort- 
land enterprise,  which  otherwise  must  have  been 
abandoned.  Thus,  after  having  devoted  three- 
quarters  of  a  million  dollars  of  his  fortune  directly 
to  the  interests  of  the  university,  he  now  added 
another  million  and  a  half  to  his  obligations  in 
order  to  promote  its  prosperity  and  that  of  his 
home  town.  To  assume  this  load  he  had  to  dis- 
pose of  all  his  remaining  valuable  telegraph  stock, 
by  which  two-thirds  of  the  sum  was  raised,  and  to 
borrow  the  other  third  on  his  personal  credit. 

Despite  the  enormous  and  diverse  responsibili- 
ties under  which  he  was  now  proceeding,  Ezra 
Cornell  went  forward  with  courage,  and  with  his 
old-time  energy  and  perseverance;  and  all  might 
have  come  out  well  had  it  not  been  for  two  unex- 
pected calamities.  True,  urged  by  various  friends, 
Andrew  D.  White  ventured  to  remonstrate  with 
the  founder  for  going  into  these  railway  enterprises 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  143 

so  heavily  at  his  time  of  life,  and  while  under  so 
heavy  a  financial  burden  elsewhere,  but  to  this  he 
only  answered:  "I  shall  live  twenty  years  longer 
and  make  a  million  dollars  more  for  the  university 
endowment. "  But  in  1873  came  a  financial  crisis 
that  disturbed,  and  even  destroyed  in  part,  the 
foundations  of  the  business  structure  of  the  United 
States.  Interest  on  railway  bonds  was  defaulted 
by  nearly  every  one  of  the  enterprises;  such  bonds 
shortly  became  almost  worthless  securities.  And 
in  the  midst  of  the  struggle  and  discouragement  of 
this  upheaval,  Ezra  Cornell  was  prostrated,  on 
June  9,  1874,  with  pneumonia.  He  was  confined 
to  his  bed  for  several  weeks,  and  although  he  slowly 
improved  in  the  months  that  followed,  and  was 
even  able  to  make  a  trip  to  New  York  and  the  sea- 
shore later,  he  never  made  any  decided  recovery. 
Meanwhile  knowledge  of  his  illness  impaired  his 
personal  credit  and  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  do 
the  business  that  absolutely  demanded  his  atten- 
tion under  even  greater  harassment  than  would 
have  been  the  case  normally  in  those  panic  days. 
No  doubt  the  anxiety  of  the  circumstances  ma- 
terially aggravated  the  effects  of  the  disease. 

Eventually  the  founder,  too,  felt  that  the  end 
was  near.  Judge  Finch  [Founder's  Day  Address, 
1887]  has  recorded  the  first  pathetic  signs  of  sur- 
render of  his  tremendous  personality.  During  a 
consultation  one  day,  over  a  particular  danger  to 
the  university,  Ezra  Cornell  folded  his  hands  on  the 
table,  placed  his  head  upon  them  and  said  only, 
"You  must  do  the  best  that  you  can,  I  am  not 


144  Concerning  Cornell 

well!"  From  that  time  on  he  grew  steadily  weak- 
er. It  is  a  pleasure,  however,  to  set  down  that  be- 
fore he  died,  on  the  ninth  of  December,  1874,  the 
university  trustees  were  able  to  take  over  all  the 
obligations  that  the  state  held  against  him  and  to 
place  in  the  founder's  hands  as  he  sat  in  his  sick 
room  every  bond  he  had  given  in  connection  with 
the  Land  Grant  contract  and  to  assure  him  that  his 
work  for  the  university  had  not  been  in  vain.  Just 
a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  too,  it  was  found 
possible  to  complete  a  contract  that  discharged 
him  of  some  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  of 
personal  liabilities  in  the  Cortland  railroad  and 
also,  thus,  to  assure  its  completion.  Though  his 
estate  did  not  receive  a  cent  of  return  for  the  half 
million  he  had  actually  invested  in  the  road,  this 
arrangement  nevertheless  achieved  the  purpose  for 
which  he  had  entered  upon  its  financing.  This  left 
only  the  Ithaca  and  Geneva  enterprise  unsettled  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  his  executor  managed  to 
sell  his  interest  in  this  for  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  about  one-third  of  the  sum  he  had  put  into 
it.  Of  his  original  two  millions  this  money  was 
about  all  that  remained,  and  the  balance,  plus  all 
the  energy  of  his  latter  years  had  been  spent  in  the 
promotion  of  unselfish  interests,  first  and  foremost 
of  which  was  Cornell  University.  To  the  very 
end  of  his  life  he  persisted;  on  the  day  of  his 
death,  he  arose,  dressed,  amid  the  protestations  of 
his  family,  and  gave  attention  to  some  business 
matters  during  the  morning.  Overcome  by  weak- 
ness he  was,  however,  compelled  to  seek  his  couch 


Entrance  to  the  Villa  Cornell 

Over  the  Door  is  the  Motto  '"True  and  Firm" 


p.  a 

<  -r 
E-     ~ 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  i  15 

before  completing  the  work  and  died  shortly  after 
noon. 

Thus  the  end  of  his  deeds — but  what  of  the  man 
himself  ?  The  founders  of  the  earlier  American  uni- 
versities are  mere  wraiths  of  a  long  distant  past — 
Harvard,  Yale,  Amherst;  and  their  contributions 
to  the  institutions  that  bear  their  names  were  only 
in  the  nature  of  a  nucleus.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
great  funds  that  have  been  bestowed  on  institu- 
tions newer  than  Cornell,  involved  no  personal 
sacrifices  on  part  of  the  donors.  After  they  had 
given  they  still  had  plenty.  Only  Ezra  Cornell 
gave  both  his  fortune  and  himself  to  his  institution 
and  that  so  recently  that  men  still  live  who  worked 
with  him.  Hence,  Cornell  University  may  very 
truly  be  said  to  have  a  real  founder,  a  man  whose 
personality  can  be  realized  today  and  it  should  be 
the  endeavor  of  every  alumnus  and  alumna  of 
Cornell  to  keep  this  memory  vivid  for  uncounted 
future  generations  of  Cornellians.  Thus  each  grad- 
uate of  Cornell  will  receive  a  heritage  of  personal 
inspiration  from  the  life  of  the  founder  of  a  charac- 
ter denied  to  the  students  of  both  the  tradition- 
worshipping  and  the  noveau  riche  institutions. 

Ezra  Cornell  was  a  tall  man,  six  feet  or  slightly 
over  in  height,  angular  and  spare  in  form,  but  of 
muscular  build,  for  he  ordinarily  weighed  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  In  early  life  he 
was  of  commanding  presence  but  became  slightly 
bent  (what  wonder!)  in  his  later  years,  and  had 
then  a  slow,  steady,  stiff  gait.  His  features  were 
rugged,  their  most  marked  characteristics  being  his 


146  Concerning  Cornell 

prominent  cheek  bones,  his  high  unfurrowed  brow, 
thin  compressed  lips,  and  a  firm  jaw,  only  partly 
concealed  by  a  sparse,  gray  beard.  He  had  also 
shrewd,  sharp,  straightforward,  blue  eyes,  and  his 
expression  in  repose  was  stern,  austere,  even  for- 
bidding. Gold  win  Smith  says  "his  figure  and  face 
bespoke  force  and  simplicity  of  character. "  To  a 
stranger  he  seemed  hard  and  repellent  and  likely 
to  be  proud.  An  observer  who  knew  both  men 
relates  that  he  immediately  reminded  one  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln;  there  was  the  same  angularity,  the 
height,  the  slight  stoop,  the  quiet  manner  and  the 
habitual  gravity  of  expression.  In  demeanor  he 
was  most  reserved,  too  brusque  for  dignity  at 
times,  with  an  exceeding  reticence  often  trying  to 
his  most  intimate  friends.  His  voice  was  com- 
monly harsh  and  shrill,  he  had  a  good  memory  and 
was  a  close  and  careful  observer.  Altogether  this 
made  a  rather  forbidding  exterior,  but  it  belied  in 
many  ways  the  cordial  and  sympathetic  soul  that 
it  covered,  for  in  conversation  his  face  became  ani- 
mated, his  eyes  were  illuminated  by  flashes  of  kind- 
liness on  occasion  and  his  humorous  appreciation  of 
situations  soon  made  itself  apparent  to  those  who 
had  concerns  with  him. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  university,  he  was 
a  familiar  sight  on  the  rough  unfinished  campus 
over  which  he  commonly  drove  in  a  shabby  buggy, 
to  which  was  hitched,  surprisingly  enough,  an 
equally  shabby  horse.  His  garb  was  modest,  so 
much  so  that  it  surprised  many  of  the  early  stu- 
dents who  had  never  before  seen  a  millionaire;  but 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  147 

it  seems  he  commonly  wore  a  tall  hat.  The  grumb- 
ling of  the  students  at  the  unfinished  conditions  of 
the  university  was  quelled  most  effectively  by  the 
earnest  and  devoted  labors  of  Cornell  himself  in 
pushing  things  to  what  then  stood  for  completion. 
On  the  first  day  that  the  university  was  open  to 
students,  a  notice  was  posted  that  all  who  desired 
work  might  report  the  following  morning  at  seven 
o'clock  for  labor  in  constructing  a  road  from  Morrill 
Hall  to  Cascadilla  Place.  On  the  appointed  day  an 
army  of  students  with  wheelbarrows  and  shovels 
began  work  upon  the  crest  of  the  (then)  hill  be- 
tween what  are  now  the  Psi  Upsilon  and  Kappa 
Alpha  chapter  houses.  Before  night  something 
that  looked  like  a  rough  opening  through  the  thick- 
ets extended  down  the  slope  to  the  creek.  Ezra 
Cornell  visited  the  scene  and  laughed  heartily  at 
the  initial  success  of  his  effort  to  combine  liberal 
and  practical  education. 

On  November  10,  1868,  it  is  recorded  in  the 
"Ithaca  Journal"  that  "the  way  the  boys  take 
hold  of  the  spade  and  wheelbarrow  indicates  the 
stuff  that  great  men  are  made  of.  Mr.  Cornell 
himself,  as  if  taken  with  the  spirit  of  the  thing, 
was  seen  a  few  days  back,  with  a  pick-axe  in  his 
own  hands,  giving  the  boys  his  personal  counte- 
nance and  management. " 

The  founder  quite  frequently  attended  lectures 
and  laboratory  classes  as  is  attested  by  the  diary 
of  one  of  the  first  faculty  noting  seven  appearances 
in  his  classes.  Although  it  can  not  be  said  that  he 
was  ever  popular  with  the  student  body  as  a  whole, 


148  Concerning  Cornell 

those  who  came  to  know  him  liked  him  much,  for 
he  showed  many  personal  kindnesses  to  individ- 
uals. But  as  for  the  commonalty,  the  situation 
can  not  be  better  expressed  than  by  the  speech  of 
one  of  their  number  who  said:  "If  Mr.  Cornell 
would  simply  stand  upon  his  pedestal  as  our 
'Honored  Founder'  and  let  us  hurrah  for  him,  that 
would  please  us  mightily;  but  when  he  comes  into 
the  laboratory  and  asks  us,  gruffly,  *  What  are  you 
wasting  your  time  at  now  ? '  we  don't  like  him  so 
well."  To  tell  the  truth  he  probably  "scared  the 
undergraduates  stiff,"  while  chuckling  himself  at 
their  fluster.  Imagine  the  president  of  the  uni- 
versity, now,  pursuing  such  tactics,  and  some  idea 
of  the  effect  will  be  gained. 

That  Cornell  himself  quite  enjoyed  these  en- 
counters will  be  further  apparent  from  the  follow- 
ing episodes.  On  one  occasion  a  student  obsessed 
with  a  hobby  for  autograph  collecting  appeared  at 
the  founder's  house,  asked  for  Mr.  Cornell  and  was 
informed  by  the  servant  that  Mr.  Cornell  was  at 
dinner.  "  Well, "  said  the  collector,  "I  only  wanted 
his  autograph  with  a  thought  or  sentiment."  The 
servant  disappeared  and  shortly  returned  with  a 
slip  of  paper  for  the  delighted  and  expectant  visi- 
tor. When,  however,  the  importunate  youth  had 
read  the  sentiment  his  feelings  must  have  been 
mixed  for  it  ran:  "I  do  not  like  to  be  disturbed  at 
my  meals.  Ezra  Cornell."  Another  time  some 
students  came  to  inquire  whether  they  might  buy 
some  apples  from  the  university  orchard  for  their 
club.      Cornell  asked    how    many  thev  wanted. 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  149 

The  spokesman  answered,"  Ten  bushels."  Immedi- 
ately Cornell  queried,  "How  many  have  you  had 
already."  At  this  the  students  were  thrown  into 
great  confusion  and  owned  up  to  "  a  bushel  or  two !' ' 
The  founder's  eyes  twinkled  then  as  he  told  them 
to  help  themselves,  that  he  thought  they  were 
perhaps  entitled  to  a  "few  more"  as  a  reward  for 
their  honesty.  If  he  saw  a  boy  smoking,  he  would 
go  up  to  him  and  ask  him  if  he  had  fifty  per  cent 
of  brain  power  to  spare.  Altogether  he  must  have 
been  quite  a  trial  to  the  student  body  and  he 
himself  must  have  enjoyed  the  situation. 

Yet  Ezra  Cornell  was  a  man  wholly  without 
personal  vanity.  His  modest  attire  and  frugal  life 
indicate  this  and  it  is  apparent  from  other  facts. 
In  his  last  years  he  wras  engaged  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a  new  residence  known  later  as  the  "Villa 
Cornell . "  It  is  quite  unlikely,  however,  that  he  wTas 
responsible  for  that  name.  The  building  is  now  the 
Delta  Phi  chapter  house.  Ezra  Cornell's  first  in- 
terest in  its  building  probably  was  the  prospect  of 
enjoying  the  commanding  outlook,  afforded  by  its 
site,  of  both  the  lake  and  valley  and  its  convenience 
of  location  to  both  the  town  and  university.  He 
was,  however,  never  to  have  the  pleasure  of  living 
in  the  structure  though  he  gave  much  time  to 
its  building.  Nevertheless  its  cost  (one  hundred 
thousand  dollars)  seems  to  have  caused  him  some 
concern,  a  sense  of  personal  extravagance,  for  he 
once  remarked,  "That  new  house  of  mine  is  a  piece 
of  folly,"  but  immediately  after  continued,  "no,  I 
think  our  mechanics  here  will  be  benefited  by  hav- 


150  Concerning  Cornell 

ing  before  them  a  perfect  piece  of  work. "  And  he 
proceeded  accordingly,  for  he  visited  various  quar- 
ries to  select  the  best  stone  in  the  state,  employed 
stone  carvers  that  had  been  at  work  on  the  Cologne 
cathedral,  and  brought  skilled  carpenters  from 
England. 

The  stone  carvers  fashioned  a  scroll  in  the  stone 
above  the  front  entrance  of  the  new  house  but  left 
it  blank.  On  seeing  this  Andrew  D.  White  sug- 
gested to  the  founder  that  he  have  carved  there  the 
translation  of  an  old  German  motto  "  Treu  und 
Fest,"  "True  and  Firm."  As  Cornell  made  no 
objection  this  was  done,  and  it  certainly  was  a 
rubric  entirely  symbolic  of  his  character.  In  his 
business  affairs  he  often  needed  to  oppose  deter- 
mined individuals  and  great  combinations  of  capi- 
tal but  his  firmness,  perhaps  persistence  would  be 
the  better  word,  carried  him  through,  for  as  he  said 
himself,  laughingly,  my  way  is  "to  tire  them  out. " 
He  had  no  misgivings  in  regard  to  the  coming  im- 
portance of  the  university  he  was  creating.  "With 
the  confidence  of  a  prophet  he  pointed  first  to  one 
elevation  and  then  another  naming  over  one  by  one 
the  buildings  which  were  to  adorn  them  in  the 
future,"  as  he  walked  over  the  campus,  with  its 
then  solitary  structure,  in  converse  with  one  of  the 
first  faculty.  On  another  occasion  he  gave  voice  to 
his  envy  of  a  younger  man,  "  who  might  reasonably 
expect  to  see  how  the  scene  would  look  after  the 
changes  of  twenty-five  years,  while  for  him  there 
was  no  such  hope."  To  Gold  win  Smith  he  said 
that  he  hoped  the  day  would  come  when  there 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  151 

would  be  five  thousand  students  in  his  university. 
Could  he  have  lived  to  see  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  institution,  as  did  the  co-founder,  Andrew 
D.  White,  he  would  have  found  that  hope  realized. 
When  suggesting  the  legend  "True  and  Firm," 
Andrew  D.  White  was  careful  to  point  out  also  that 
some  people  might  translate  the  last  word  as 
"obstinate. "  It  was  well  that  he  did  so  for  petty 
detractors  immediately  cited  it  as  a  proof  of  Ezra 
Cornell's  vainglory.  But  it  is  not  likely  that  this 
did  much  to  shake  his  equanimity  in  view  of  the 
extraordinary  composure  and  fortitude  with  which 
he  withstood  the  bitter  and  malicious  attacks  he 
had  to  endure  in  connection  with  both  the  project 
of  Cornell  University  and  his  plan  for  increasing 
its  endowment.  In  each  case  he  was  "true"  to  his 
purpose  and  "firm"  in  his  determination  to  see  it 
through — no  more.  Obstinate  is  hardly  an  adjec- 
tive to  apply  to  a  man  who  disposed  of  his  private 
fortune  for  the  public  good  and  then  also  used  every 
personal  energy  to  promote  the  well-being  of  his 
philanthropy.  When  the  bill  for  the  incorporation 
of  Cornell  University  was  being  considered  by  the 
New  York  State  legislature,  and  a  lawyer,  em- 
ployed by  one  of  the  sponsors  of  a  small  college 
opposing  its  passage,  in  his  speech  called  Ezra 
Cornell's  project  "a  selfish  scheme,"  a  "job,"  a 
"grab,"  and  pictured  the  founder  as  a  swindler, 
the  subject  of  the  remarks  remained  perfectly  calm, 
his  only  comment  being  "If  I  could  think  of  any 
other  way  in  which  half  a  million  dollars  would  do 
so  much  good  to  the  state  I  would  give  the  legisla- 


152  Concerning  Cornell 

ture  no  more  trouble."  But  he  could  not,  there- 
fore, remained  firm  in  his  purpose.  Later  when  the 
founder  was  bitterly  accused,  again  in  the  legisla- 
ture, of  using  his  land  contract,  made  for  the  benefit 
of  the  university,  to  enrich  himself  further  he  made 
a  call  on  Andrew  D.  White  the  following  morning 
at  six  o'clock,  rousing  him  by  throwing  gravel 
against  his  bedchamber  window,  and  calling  out 
serenely,  "Come  down  here  and  listen  to  the 
chimes;  I  have  found  a  spot  where  you  can  hear 
them  directly  with  one  ear  and  their  echo  with  the 
other."  After  the  echo  had  been  investigated  he 
said  seriously:  "Don't  make  yourself  unhappy  over 
this  matter;  it  will  turn  out  a  good  thing  for  the 
university.  I  have  long  foreseen  that  this  attack 
must  come,  but  feared  it  would  come  after  my 
death,  when  the  facts  would  be  forgotten  and  the 
transactions  little  understood.  I  am  glad  the 
charges  are  made  now  while  I  am  here  to  answer 
them. "  It  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  he 
was  entirely  unfeeling.  In  his  own  family  when 
the  attack  was  discussed  he  remained  silent  for  a 
time,  then  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  he  said,  "Girls, 
I  am  willing  to  abide  my  time — perfectly  willing  to 
abide  my  time. "  The  committee  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate the  matter,  though  in  part  hostile  to  the 
purpose  of  Mr.  Cornell's  plans,  the  enrichment  of 
Cornell  University,  completely  exonerated  him  of 
any  selfish  motive  and  of  the  slightest  deviation 
from  the  course  that  the  legislature  had  itself 
authorized. 

Most  of  the  attacks  were  inspired  either  by 


The  Founder — Ezra  Cornell  153 

narrow,  conservative  hatred  of  a  builder  along  new 
lines  or  by  plain  envy  on  the  part  of  institutions 
or  individuals.  A  would-be  socialist,  who  sought 
to  banter  him  by  saying  in  his  presence  that  "he 
thought  he  should  have  just  about  one-half  of  Mr. 
Cornell's  means,"  earned  Ezra  Cornell's  immediate 
retort,  "It  would  be  great  fun  getting  it  back 
again." 

Plain,  hardworking,  frugal;  kindly  and  sympa- 
thetic under  a  forbidding  exterior  and  gruff  man- 
ner; self  reliant,  determined,  true  to  his  purposes; 
farseeing  and  capable  of  action  in  accordance  with 
his  vision,  despite  discouragement,  detraction  and 
defamation — such  was  the  founder.  In  the  words 
of  Gold  win  Smith:  "Now  Ezra  Cornell  sleeps  in  his 
grave  of  honour.  His  epitaph  in  the  Memorial 
Chapel  like  that  of  Wren  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
might  be  Circumspice" 


CHAPTER  III 

OF  HISTORICAL  INTEREST 

THIS  short  account  does  not  pretend  to  be  a 
complete  history  of  the  university,  even  in 
outline.  There  is,  indeed,  small  need  for  anything 
of  such  pretensions.  President  White's  "Autobi- 
ography" supplies  the  personal  reminiscences  that 
give  an  insight  into  the  men  and  conditions  that 
led  to  the  founding  of  the  institution  and  tells  the 
history  of  its  early  years.  This  work  every  under- 
graduate should  read.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is 
one  of  the  best  sellers  at  the  local  bookshops. 

The  entirely  admirable  account  of  all  the  signif- 
icant events  of  later  years,  penned  by  Professor 
Huffcut,  former  dean  of  the  College  of  Law  is,  on 
the  other  hand,  too  little  known,  primarily  because 
it  is  buried  in  an  obscure  government  publication. 
To  indicate  the  difficulty  of  even  referring  to  it, 
and  in  the  hope  that  this  will  lead  to  its  being  more 
often  consulted,  and  chiefly  as  an  acknowledgment 
of  how  much  these  paragraphs  owe  to  his  work, 
the  full  title  of  the  document  in  which  Professor 
Huffcut's  history  appears  is  given  on  the  following 
page. 

The  best  general  sources  for  information  of 
changes  since  1898  are  the  Cornell  Daily  Sun,  the 
undergraduate  newspaper,  and  The  Cornell  Alumni 
News,  the  alumni  weekly. 

Cornell  University  owes  its  existence  to  the 
genius,  enthusiasm  and  labors  of  two  men,  Ezra 


Of  Historical  Interest  155 

Cornell  and  Andrew  Dickson  White,  and  in  almost 
equal  measure  to  each  of  them.  Absolutely  unlike 
in  temperament,  education  and  tastes,  the  one  of 
mature  years,  a  business  man,  self-made;  the  other 


(whole  number  264) 

UNITED    STATES    BUREAU    OF    EDUCATION 

CIRCULAR   OF   INFORMATION,    NO.    3,    I9OO 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO 
AMERICAN  EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY 

EDITED  BY  HERBERT  B.  ADAMS 


NO.    28 

THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    THE    STATE    OF    NEW    YORK 

HISTORY  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION 
IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

BY  SIDNEY  SHERWOOD,   PH.   D. 


CORNELL  UNIVERSITY.     AN   HISTORICAL 
SKETCH  OF  ITS  FIRST  THIRTY  YEARS 

1868-1898 
BY   ERNEST   W.    HUFFCUT.       PAGES  3l8-4-*5 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE 

I9OO 


in  the  prime  of  early  manhood,  the  son  of  well-to-do 
parents,  a  brilliant  university  scholar;  these  men 
nevertheless  worked  together,  and  in  entire  har- 
mony, to  bring  about  the  founding  of  the  institution 
and  to  guide  it  successfully  through  its  early  years. 


156  Concerning  Cornell 

Some  account  of  Ezra  Cornell's  life  appears  in 
the  preceding  pages  of  this  volume.  Andrew  Dick- 
son White  was  born  November  7,  1832,  at  Homer, 
New  York;  and  died  at  the  President's  House, 
Cornell  University,  November  4,  1918.  His  ances- 
tors were  members  of  a  group  of  New  Englanders 
that  came  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century 
to  live  in  the  "Military  Tract"  in  western  New 
York,  which  included  the  region  about  Homer. 
As  he  said  himself,  they  were  all  "good  stock," 
but  added  that  he  never  found  time  to  verify  the 
tradition,  of  the  truth  of  which  he  had  doubts,  that 
his  father's  people  were  descended  from  Peregrine 
White  of  the  Mayflower.  His  paternal  grandfather 
had  been  the  richest  man  of  the  township,  but,  af- 
ter a  fire  that  swept  away  his  uninsured  mills,  be- 
came one  of  the  poorest  and  lost  his  health.  Thus 
it  fell  to  Andrew  D.  White's  father,  Horace  White, 
a  youth  in  his  teens,  to  care  for  the  family  and  re- 
trieve its  fortunes.  This  he  did  so  well  that  he 
became  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the 
country  and  was  made  president  of  a  bank  in 
Syracuse.  Young  iVndrew  never  knew  poverty, 
everything  about  him  was  good  and  substantial 
though,  as  he  says,  the  family  mode  of  life  was 
far  from  extravagant. 

He  was  taken  to  a  public  school  at  three  years 
of  age  because  a  colored  servant,  who  wished  to 
learn  to  read,  slipped  into  the  classroom  with  her 
young  charge.  Whether  because  of  what  he  there 
absorbed,  or  because  of  a  precociousness  that 
would  have  led  to  the  same  result  in  any  event,  he 


Of  Historical  Interest  157 

himself  learned  to  read  at  the  age  of  four.  When 
he  was  seven  the  family  removed  to  Syracuse  and 
there  the  young  scholar  attended  the  public  schools 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  entered  the  Syracuse 
academy.  In  that  school  he  came  under  a  group 
of  very  good  teachers  and  in  his  free  hours  devel- 
oped a  great  liking  for  machinery.  Later  he  en- 
tered a  classical  school,  so  called,  and  learned 
Latin  and  Greek.  At  this  time  he  took  up  debat- 
ing in  a  village  club  organized  for  that  purpose  and 
read  Scott's  and  Dickens's  novels.  At  seventeen 
he  was  sent  to  a  small  New  York  denominational 
college  much  against  his  own  will.  As  the  college 
with  only  forty  students  was  in  sore  need  of  all  the 
instruction  fees  it  could  collect,  the  authorities 
hesitated  even  to  offend  a  student;  a  fact  well 
known  to  the  undergraduates  themselves.  In  con- 
sequence, President  White  says,  more  dissipation 
and  wild  pranks  occurred  at  this  "church  college, " 
that  boasted  of  its  Christian  influence  on  its  stu- 
dents, than  he  ever  even  heard  of  at  all  the  half- 
dozen  large  universities  in  America  and  Europe 
with  which  he  was  later  connected.  One  of  the 
diversions  was  rolling  cannon  balls  along  the  corri- 
dors at  midnight,  with  easily  imaginable  results 
in  the  way  of  din.  A  tutor  who  had  captured  and 
confiscated  two  of  the  balls  one  night,  essayed  to 
secure  a  third  on  the  following  night,  jumping  out 
from  his  door,  but  this  one  had  been  heated  to 
nearly  redness  and  started  from  a  shovel.  As  a  re- 
sult the  poor  fellow  wore  bandages  for  many  days. 
In  1850,  having  been  sent  back  to  this  college, 


158  Concerning  Cornell 

after  vainly  pleading  to  be  allowed  to  attend  one 
of  the  larger  New  England  universities,  he  found 
the  life  so  distasteful  that  he  deliberately  left  it 
during  the  autumn  term  and  took  refuge  with  a 
former  teacher,  passing  three  months  in  study  while 
hiding  in  the  little  village  where  this  man  lived. 
After  Christmas  his  father  relented  and  the  young 
man  was  permitted  to  enter  Yale  University.  At 
this  institution  the  young  scholar  found  himself  in 
a  much  more  congenial  atmosphere,  at  least  in  so 
far  as  classmates  were  concerned.  Whether  this 
was  because  in  the  larger  student  body  he  naturally 
gravitated  into  friendship  with  those  who  had  simi- 
lar tastes,  or  whether  the  stricter  discipline  of  the 
larger  institution  suppressed  the  riotous  element 
among  the  undergraduates  does  not  appear.  In 
any  event,  many  of  his  friends  at  Yale  later  became 
eminent  personages,  an  indication  at  an  early  age 
of  his  natural  trait  for  aligning  himself  with  those 
most  worth  while.  But  with  methods  of  instruc- 
tion at  the  Yale  of  this  period  he  was  discontent- 
ed. Collegiate  education  then  tended  to  follow 
classical  lines,  the  course  of  instruction  was  fixed, 
exercises  consisted  for  the  most  part  in  recitations 
heard  by,  at  best,  uninterested  and  bored  tutor- 
instructors  and  classes  were  dull  in  the  extreme. 
The  professors  themselves,  able  men  in  general, 
were  difficult  of  access,  and  their  worth-while, 
lecture-instruction  was  in  general  discounted  by 
the  dry-as-dust  recitations  they  countenanced  and, 
indeed,  conducted  in  person  in  certain  instances. 
All   studies   were  neglected  that   did   not  affect 


Of  Historical  Interest  159 

"marks"  and  "standing."  All  this  Mr.  White 
calls  the  "Yale  System." 

Despite  these  handicaps,  the  undergraduate, 
Andrew  D.  White,  found  inspiration  at  Yale,  and 
very  shortly  acquired  distinction  as  a  student  by 
winning  various  literary  and  oratorical  prizes  with 
essays  on  political  and  historical  subjects.  That 
he  was  not  altogether  a  grind  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  coxswain  in  the  first  eight-oared 
boat  race  between  Yale  and  Harvard. 

A  reflection  of  almost  every  one  of  these  early 
experiences  and  phases  of  President  White's  life 
may  be  found  in  the  institutions,  organization,  and 
customs  of  the  present-day  Cornell  University.  He 
seems  to  have  tried  to  incorporate  every  influence 
for  good  that  he  encountered ;  for  what  was  bad  he 
substituted  something  different,  untried  often,  but 
at  least  of  such  nature  as  to  avoid  the  evils  with 
which  he  had  become  familiar.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  he  was  able  to  play  a  church  organ;  due  to 
his  influence  and  generosity  there  are  now  two 
magnificent  pipe  organs  at  Cornell.  At  the  same 
age  he  had  great  interest  in  all  kinds  of  machinery 
— hence  the  sympathetic  attitude  he  displayed  in 
the  development  of  the  engineering  colleges.  Art 
and  architecture  felt  his  fostering  influence  because 
at  ten  occurred  what  he  terms  an  important  event, 
the  gift  to  his  mother  from  his  father  of  a  hand- 
somely illustrated  volume  "The  Gallery  of  British 
Artists, "  which  the  boy  never  tired  in  poring  over. 
Because  he  found  the  "Christian  influence"  of 
the  up-state  denominational  college  he  attended  a 


160  Concerning  Cornell 

farce,  Cornell  is  nonsectarian  in  its  governing  body 
and  faculty,  though  far  from  irreligious,  as  early 
detractors  vociferously  asserted.  The  rowdy  be- 
havior of  students  he  believed  largely  due  to  failure 
to  provide  some  outlet  for  the  physical  energy  of 
young  men;  to  this  and  his  own  rowing  experience 
is  owing  the  present  magnificent  standing  of  Cornell 
in  athletic  sports.  His  early  good  training  in  Eng- 
lish, his  personal  interest  in  history,  politics  and 
the  classics  are  apparent  in  the  strength  and  ample 
provision  made  for  such  departments  in  Cornell. 

After  being  graduated  at  Yale,  President  White 
spent  nearly  three  years  in  Europe.  Here  he  per- 
fected his  knowledge  of  French  by  living  for  a  year 
in  a  French  professor's  family  and  by  attending 
lectures  at  the  Sorbonne.  In  1855  and  1856,  he 
mastered  German  in  the  same  way  at  Berlin. 
Between  times  he  had  traveled  widely  on  the  con- 
tinent and  in  England  and  had  been  for  six  months 
an  attache  of  the  American  Legation  at  St.  Peters- 
burg. His  studies,  meanwhile,  continued  along 
historical  lines;  he  gained  an  insight  into  European 
political  and  social  conditions  at  first  hand,  and 
also  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  workings 
of  many  European  universities. 

Returning  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1856,  he 
took  the  master's  degree  at  Yale  "in  course,"  and 
at  the  commencement  exercises  heard  President 
Way  land  of  Brown  University  advise  that  "the 
best  field  of  work  for  graduates  is  now  in  the  West." 
The  presidential  election  of  that  year  found  him 
deeply  interested  in  politics,  primarily  as  an  advo- 


Andukw  D.   White 


Henry  W.  Sage 


Of  Historical  Interest  161 

cate  of  the  anti-slavery  cause.  In  this  connection, 
while  a  resident  graduate  at  Yale  in  the  following 
winter,  he  delivered  a  lecture  on  "Civilization  in 
Russia,"  an  indirect  attack  on  slavery  in  the 
United  States.  This  interest  in  politics  led  him 
to  visit  Washington  in  March,  1857,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  inauguration  of  President  Buchanan. 
Politics  as  practised  had  been  repulsive  to  him; 
shabby,  dirty  Washington  of  the  slave  regime 
absolutely  disgusted  him.  There  seemed  some 
prospect  of  a  professorship  in  history  at  Yale,  but 
this  failed  to  materialize;  hence,  impressed  by 
Wayland's  remarks  on  the  opportunity  in  the  West, 
he  eagerly  accepted  a  professorship  in  history  and 
English  literature  offered  him  by  the  University 
of  Michigan,  wThere  he  arrived  in  October,  1857. 
At  Michigan  he  came  in  contact  with  energetic 
western  students,  who  put  him  on  his  mettle  to 
keep  up  with  them  in  discussions,  the  incentive, 
as  he  modestly  says,  for  a  period  of  intensive  study. 
Then  came  the  Civil  W7ar  period.  President  Wrhite 
volunteered,  was  refused  on  account  of  his  health, 
accordingly  put  his  energies  into  securing  the  train- 
ing of  others  for  the  army,  later  went  to  Europe  to 
promote  the  cause  of  the  North,  and  in  1864  re- 
turned to  America.  Shortly  afterward  he  received 
a  telegram  in  Boston  that  he  had  been  nominated 
to  the  New  York  State  Senate;  and  he  was,  in  due 
course,  elected.  This  position  he  had  in  no  way 
sought;  it  had  come  to  him  altogether  unsolicited, 
a  fact  in  itself  quite  noteworthy  in  the  annals  of 
American  politics. 


162  Concerning  Cornell 

Of  such  wealth  in  training  and  experience, 
then,  was  the  young  man,  just  thirty-two  years  of 
age,  that  Ezra  Cornell  met  as  a  colleague  in  the 
State  Senate  at  Albany  in  1864.  When  first  Ezra 
Cornell's  name  was  called,  President  White  says, 
he  was  immediately  interested  in  the  man  and 
observes  that  he  seemed  "about  sixty  years  of  age, 
tall,  spare  and  austere,  with  a  kindly  eye,  saying 
little,  and  that  little  dryly.  He  did  not  appear 
unamiable,  but  there  seemed  in  him  a  sort  of 
aloofness."  What  Ezra's  first  impressions  of  the 
young  Andrew  were  is  not  recorded  but  no  doubt 
they  would  furnish  an  equally  pithy  characteriza- 
tion. 

That  these  two  men,  so  utterly  opposite  in  age 
and  experience,  of  whom  the  one  had  attained 
great  distinction  by  scholarly  achievement  and 
right  thinking  so  early  in  life,  and  the  other  gained 
wealth  and  influence  only  after  years  of  toil  and 
vicissitude,  should  later  have  been  so  steadfastly 
associated  in  the  grand  adventure  of  founding 
Cornell  is  a  matter  of  fascination;  that  they  were 
brought  into  intimate  relations  almost  immediate- 
ly after  their  meeting  in  the  senate  seems  more 
than  a  coincidence. 

On  the  organization  of  the  senate,  Mr.  Cornell 
and  Mr.  White  were  each  made  chairman  of  a 
committee,  Mr.  Cornell  on  agriculture,  Mr.  White 
on  education.  There  was  certainly  no  obvious 
connection  between  these  two  groups,  yet  among 
the  first  things  to  be  referred  to  Mr.  White's 
committee  was  Mr.  Cornell's  bill  to  incorporate  a 


Of  Historical  Interest  ig:> 

public  library  at  Ithaca  that  Mr.  Cornell  proposed 
to  found.  This  bill  greatly  interested  Mr.  White 
because  it  included  among  the  trustees  representa- 
tives of  all  the  interests  of  the  town,  Mr.  CornelPs 
political  opponents  as  well  as  his  friends,  and  the 
pastors  of  all  churches,  Catholic  and  Protestant, 
and  provided  for  the  endowment  of  the  institution 
his,  Mr.  Cornell's,  gift  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  a  quite  munificent  sum  for  a  library  for  a 
small  town  in  those  days.  Since  such  ideas  were 
wholly  in  accord  with  Mr.  White's  own  convictions, 
it  was  only  natural  that  their  conferences  in  regard 
to  the  bill  soon  established  a  friendship  that  con- 
tinued unbroken  until  Mr.  Cornell's  death,  and  that 
the  library  was  established  substantially  as  propos- 
ed by  Mr.  Cornell,  the  bill  having  Mr.  White's 
hearty  support  until  it  became  a  law. 

That  these  two  men  should  have  been  brought 
together  immediately  after  Mr.  White's  entrance 
into  the  senate  is  noteworthy,  but  that  almost  the 
next  circumstance  should  bring  their  committees, 
hence  their  several  leaderships,  into  close  relations 
is  no  less  than  remarkable,  and  has  a  dramatic 
interest  for  all  Cornellians,  for  unless  this  had  taken 
place  Cornell  University  would  never  have  been 
founded,  nor  would  any  institution  equivalent  to  it 
have  been  developed  in  New  York  State.  Of  the 
same  singularity  are  the  circumstances  that  both 
Mr.  White  and  Mr.  Cornell  had  spent  their  boy- 
hood days  at  points  in  central  New  York  separated 
by  only  a  few  miles,  that  their  paths  and  experi- 
ences had  then  been  of  so  widely  different  nature, 


164  Concerning  Cornell 

and  that  now  the  most  intense  interests  of  each 
were  again  to  revolve  around  a  narrowly  restricted 
area  of  the  same  part  of  the  state  in  which  each  had 
spent  his  early  days.  If,  in  an  atlas,  the  towns  of 
Homer,  DeRuyter,  Cortland,  Geneva,  Moravia, 
Ithaca,  Syracuse,  Havana  and  Ovid  on  the  map  of 
New  York  State  are  encircled  with  a  pencil-line, 
there  is  presented  the  small  region  in  which  their 
youthful  undertakings  and  those  of  manhood's 
prime  were  centered ;  while  if  from  this  area,  on  a 
world  map,  widely  divergent  lines,  extending  on 
the  one  hand  north  and  south  to  Maine  and 
Georgia  and  west  to  Wisconsin;  and,  on  the  other, 
east  to  Yale,  to  England,  France,  Germany  and 
Russia,  are  drawn,  it  will  be  appreciated  how  far 
apart,  geographically,  as  well  as  in  interests,  their 
lives  between  these  periods  had  been. 

To  understand  the  situation  that  brought 
Senator  Cornell's  committee  on  agriculture  into 
direct  relations  with  Senator  White's  committee 
on  education,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a  few  years 
and  to  become  acquainted  with  the  facts  connected 
with  the  passing  of  the  Morrill  or  Land  Grant  bill 
of  1862  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  and 
the  subsequent  action  on  this  law  by  the  New  York 
State  legislature.  That  such  a  measure  was  passed 
at  a  time  when  the  country  was  involved  in  civil 
war  is  in  itself  remarkable.  It  proposed  to  endow 
at  least  one  college  in  each  state  with  public  lands 
to  the  amount  of  thirty  thousand  acres  for  each 
senator  and  representative  in  Congress  and  pro- 
vided that  the  object  of  such  colleges  or  college 


Of  Historical  Interest  165 

should  be  * 'without  excluding  other  scientific  and 
classical  studies,  and  including  military  tactics,  to 
teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to 
agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner 
as  the  legislatures  of  the  states  may  respectively 
prescribe,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal  and  prac- 
tical education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the 
several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life."  This  act 
entitled  New  York  State  to  "scrip"  representing 
nine  hundred  eighty-nine  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  as  no  scrip  was  issued 
for  less  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  To 
realize  on  this  it  was  necessary  that  the  scrip  be 
sold,  as  no  state  was  permitted  to  locate  lands 
in  another  state,  and  there  were  no  public  lands  in 
New  York  State  subject  to  entry.  As  other  states 
were  in  the  same  plight,  and  as  public  lands  of 
wide  extent  were  subject  to  entry  by  any  one  at 
one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre  the  selling  price 
of  the  Land  Grant  scrip  at  best  was  only  eighty- 
five  cents  per  acre  and  it  soon  declined  to  sixty 
cents,  with  a  poor  market. 

Nevertheless  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
portion  that  fell  to  New  York,  owing  to  its  large 
representation  in  congress,  was  the  largest  received 
by  any  one  state,  over  one-tenth  of  the  whole;  and 
in  actual  extent,  if  measured  in  contiguous  terri- 
tory, of  princely  domain.  Thus  it  exceeded  the 
total  area  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island  by  some 
three  hundred  square  miles. 

On  May  5,  1863,  the  state  legislature  formally 
accepted  the  grant  and  authorized  the  comptroller 


166  Concerning  Cornell 

to  sell  it  and  to  invest  the  funds  in  bonds  bearing 
interest  at  not  less  than  five  per  cent.  At  the  time 
Cornell  University  was  granted  its  charter,  the 
comptroller  had  sold  seventy-six  thousand  acres 
and  estimated  that  the  whole  could  be  disposed  of 
so  as  to  yield  an  annual  income  of  forty  thousand 
dollars.  By  this  statement  one  may  measure  what 
Ezra  Cornell  secured  for  the  university  by  his 
business  shrewdness  and  personal  efforts  over  and 
above  what  he  gave  of  his  own  fortune. 

On  May  14,  1863,  the  whole  of  the  New  York 
State  grant  was  voted  to  the  People's  College  of 
Havana,  New  York,  through  the  efforts  of  state 
senator  Charles  Cook,  patron  of  this  institution. 
The  People's  College  today  is  Cook  Academy,  a 
preparatory  school,  for  its  founder  was  liberal  only 
in  what  he  wished  to  get  for  the  institution.  The 
original  People's  College  was  projected  to  teach 
practical  sciences  essential  to  agriculture  and  the 
useful  arts,  to  provide  labor  for  its  students,  men 
and  women,  and  to  require  both  students  and 
faculty  to  labor  from  ten  to  twenty  hours  each 
week.  It  had  not  been  opened  when  the  Land 
Grant  endowment  was  bestowed  on  it,  and  at  the 
time  when  it  finally  lost  the  grant  had  property 
valued  at  seventy  thousand  dollars  only,  though  it 
had  had  two  years  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the 
gift,  namely,  that  it  have  ten  competent  professors 
and  suitable  buildings  and  equipment  for  the 
teaching  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  students.  An- 
other condition  of  the  charter  was  that  the  in- 
stitution was  to  be  free  of  all  encumbrance  yet  the 


Of  Historical  Interest  167 

so-called  donor,  Mr.  Cook,  could  not  be  induced 
to  cancel  a  mortgage  of  some  thirty-one  thousand 
dollars  that  he  held  on  its  property.  Nevertheless, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  try,  in  the  session  of  1864, 
to  get  the  whole  of  the  grant  for  his  institution 
without  any  pledges  whatsoever  on  the  part  of 
the  People's  College. 

A  bill  to  repeal  the  grant  to  the  People's  College 
was  introduced  in  the  senate,  in  1864,  but  failed  to 
pass.  Then  Mr.  Cornell  introduced  a  bill  to  divide 
the  Land  Grant  fund  between  the  People's  College 
and  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Ovid,  where  now  is  located  the  Willard  Asylum  for 
the  Insane,  a  place  about  twenty  miles  distant  from 
Havana,  the  site  of  the  People's  College.  The 
State  Agricultural  College  was  sponsored  by  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  had  been 
incorporated  in  1853  by  the  legislature  under  an 
act  providing  that,  on  condition  that  an  equal 
sum  be  raised  by  private  subscription,  the  state  was 
to  loan  the  institution  forty  thousand  dollars  for 
twenty-one  years  without  interest.  By  1858,  an 
estate  of  over  six-hundred  acres  overlooking  Seneca 
Lake  had  been  secured  and  in  1860  a  building  had 
been  erected  and  the  institution  opened  with  a 
class  of  some  fifty  students  and  a  faculty  of  five 
men.  With  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  in  1861,  how- 
ever, the  institution  was  closed  and  had  not  been 
reopened  in  1864.  Of  this  college  Mr.  Cornell  was 
a  trustee. 

Mr.  White  immediately  opposed  Mr.  Cornell's 
proposal  to  divide  the  Land  Grant  fund,  on  the 


168  Concerning  Cornell 

ground  that  it  should  not  be  frittered  away,  and,  on 
Mr.  Cornell's  trying  to  have  the  bill  referred  to  his 
own  committee  on  agriculture,  insisted  that  it 
should  be  referred  to  the  committee  on  education 
with  the  result  that  the  senate  referred  it  to  their 
joint  committees.  Then  during  the  entire  session 
Mr. White  deliberately  thwarted  any  report  on  the 
bill.  In  the  following  summer  Mr.  Cornell  invited 
Mr.  White  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society,  of  which  Mr.  Cornell  was  then 
president,  and  there  proposed  a  new  bill  granting 
the  State  Agricultural  College  an  income  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars  from  the  Land  Grant  fund  on  con- 
dition that  it  have  an  independent  endowment  of 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  which  he  himself 
offered  to  provide.  To  the  disgust  of  the  audience, 
Mr.  White  again  objected,  this  time  urging  Mr. 
Cornell  to  ask  for  the  whole  Land  Grant  fund  and 
add  to  it  his  proposed  gift.  No  definite  action 
seems  to  have  been  taken. 

In  1865,  when  the  legislature  met  again,  Mr. 
Cornell,  after  an  earlier  conversation  on  the  matter, 
came  to  Mr.  White  and  said  he  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  Mr.  WThite  was  right,  the  Land 
Grant  fund  ought  to  be  kept  together,  that  he  now 
proposed  to  found  a  new  institution  that  should 
have  all  of  it  and  that  in  addition  he  would  give  a 
site  and  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  instead  of 
the  three  hundred  thousand  he  had  offered  at 
Rochester.  To  this  proposal  a  number  of  the 
friends  of  both  the  People's  College  and  the  State 
Agricultural  College  quite  enthusiastically  acceded 


Of  Historical  Interest  169 

later,  among  them  Horace  Greeley,  long  a  trustee 
of  the  former  institution. 

Under  these  conditions  it  would  appear  that 
the  new  institution,  the  future  Cornell  University, 
ought  to  have  been  started  with  great  acclaim. 
But  there  was  to  be  no  plain  sailing  at  this  time  or 
for  a  long  time  after.  On  February  4,  1865,  Mr. 
White  introduced  a  bill  to  establish  The  Cornell 
University  at  Ithaca,  New  York.  The  location 
at  Ithaca  Mr.  Cornell  insisted  upon,  though  Mr. 
White  would  have  preferred  Syracuse.  But  al- 
though he  insisted  on  the  Ithaca  site,  the  founder 
was  dubious  in  regard  to  calling  the  institution 
after  himself,  suggesting  "Ithaca  State  College" 
or  something  of  that  nature.  Only  after  it  had 
been  pointed  out  that  nearly  every  great  eastern 
institution  was  named  after  its  chief  benefactor 
did  he  yield.  Then  began  the  struggle.  On  Feb- 
ruary 4th  Mr.  White  introduced  a  resolution  re- 
questing the  Board  of  Regents  to  inquire  into  the 
condition  of  the  People's  College.  On  the  7th  he 
further  introduced  a  bill  incorporating  The  Cornell 
University  and  endowing  it  with  the  whole  of  the 
Land  Grant  fund.  This  was  referred  to  the  joint 
committees  on  agriculture  and  education.  On  the 
15th  the  Regents  reported  that  the  People's  College 
had  failed  to  qualify.  On  March  9th  the  Cornell 
incorporation  bill,  after  having  been  reported  and 
recommitted  to  the  joint  committee,  was  again 
taken  up  in  Committee  of  the  W7hole  and  then 
amended  to  so  as  to  give  the  People's  College  three 
months  more  to  offer  a  cash  deposit  of  one  hundred 


170  Concerning  Cornell 

and  eighty-five  thousand  dollars  in  lieu  of  the 
earlier  conditions.  As  amended  it  passed  the  sen- 
ate by  a  vote  of  twenty -five  to  two  on  March  16, 
1865. 

In  the  assembly  the  bill  was  referred  to  the 
committee  on  colleges,  academies  and  common 
schools  and  the  committee  on  agriculture  jointly. 
Meanwhile  the  forces  in  opposition  were  rallying. 
A  number  of  smaller  colleges,  all  with  some  influ- 
ence in  the  legislature,  pressed  claims  for  some  part 
of  the  Land  Grant.  Mr.  Cook  of  the  People's 
College,  bitter  because  his  project  had  failed,  em- 
ployed a  lawyer  to  oppose  the  Cornell  bill  in  com- 
mittee, and  this  man  sought  to  bring  the  Cornell 
scheme  into  suspicion  and  contempt.  He  called  it 
a  "job,"  "grab,"  "monopoly,"  "a  wild  project," 
and  said  Mr.  Cornell  was  planning  to  rob  the  state, 
that  he  was  a  vain  and  selfish  speculator,  "seeking 
to  erect  a  monument  to  himself,"  and  insinuated 
that  those  associated  with  him  were  either  dupes 
or  knaves.  But  the  bill  was  nevertheless  forced  out 
of  committee  by  its  friends,  after  about  a  month, 
and  considered  in  committee  of  the  whole.  The 
friends  of  Genesee  College  at  Lima  proved  especial- 
ly strong  and  forced  an  amendment  that  in  addi- 
tion to  giving  Cornell  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  Mr.  Cornell  was  also  to  donate  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  to  Genesee  College.  This  amend- 
ment Mr.  Cornell  accepted  and  in  this  form  the  bill 
was  passed  April  21, 1865,  but  only  after  Mr.  White 
and  others  stood  in  the  cloak  room  and  fairly 
shamed   waverers,   afraid   of  their   small   college 


Of  Historical  Interest  i  7  i 

constituents,  to  vote  as  their  consciences  and  the 
best  interests  of  New  York  State  dictated.  The 
indignity  of  the  amendment,  however,  caused  so 
much  disgust  in  the  state,  when  it  became  generally 
known,  that  in  1867  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
refunding  the  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  not  to 
Mr.  Cornell,  for  he  would  not  accept  it,  but  to 
Cornell  University.  The  People's  College  having 
failed,  in  the  time  allowed,  to  furnish  the  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  thousand  dollars  required  by 
the  legislature  to  secure  to  it  the  Land  Grant,  the 
great  endowment  came,  after  such  struggle,  into 
the  undisputed  possession  of  Cornell. 

Not  satisfied  with  what  he  had  already  done, 
Mr.  Cornell,  immediately  after  the  university  was 
assured,  gave  to  the  trustees  of  the  institution  his 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  after  it  had  been  unani- 
mously agreed  that  this  was  by  far  the  best  site  for 
the  campus  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ithaca.  Then, 
as  a  business  man,  realizing  that  the  money  to  be 
secured  from  the  sale  of  the  Land  Grant  scrip  by 
the  state  would  be  but  a  meagre  sum  in  comparison 
with  what  might  be  obtained  by  judicious  action 
on  part  of  a  corporation  or  individual,  he  set  about 
augmenting  it  in  characteristic  fashion.  The  state 
could  not  locate  lands  in  another  state,  the  univer- 
sity needed  all  its  funds  for  buildings,  equipment 
and  expenses.  Accordingly  Mr.  Cornell  sought  pri- 
vate aid  with  a  view  to  the  purchase  of  the  scrip 
from  the  state  and  the  location  of  lands  that  would 
sell  at  a  great  advance  in  a  few  years.  In  this  he 
was  unsuccessful,  no  one  dared  join  him.    Then  he 


172  Concerning  Cornell 

determined  to  bear  the  whole  burden  himself.  In 
1865  he  secured  permission  to  buy  one  hundred 
thousand  acres  at  fifty  cents  an  acre  on  condition 
that  all  profits  resulting  from  the  future  sale  of  the 
land  should  come  to  Cornell.  In  1866  an  act  was 
passed  in  the  legislature  authorizing  the  comp- 
troller to  sell  all  the  remaining  scrip  to  the  trustees 
of  Cornell  University  at  a  price  not  less  than  thirty 
cents  per  acre,  or  if  they  would  not  take  it,  then  to 
any  person  who  would  pay  to  the  state  all  the  net 
profits  of  the  transaction.  The  trustees  had  no 
funds,  hence  Mr.  Cornell  proposed  that  he  would 
buy  the  remainder  of  the  scrip  at  the  thirty-cent 
rate  and  from  the  profits  of  its  sale  pay  thirty  cents 
more  per  acre  to  the  state;  the  sixty  cents  per  acre 
realized  in  this  way,  together  with  the  funds  from 
previous  sales,  to  constitute  the  Land  Grant  fund 
and  be  subject  to  its  restrictions  in  the  expenditures 
of  Cornell  University;  the  balance  of  the  profits  to 
constitute  a  separate  fund,  known  as  the  Cornell 
Endowment  Fund,  and  to  be  free  from  such  restric- 
tions. This  proposal  was  accepted  and  Mr.  Cornell 
purchased  the  balance,  the  remaining  eight  hun- 
dred thirteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  scrip. 

Reverting  then  to  the  toilsome  personal  indus- 
try of  his  early  years  for  the  benefit  of  the  new 
university,  Mr.  Cornell  undertook  the  gigantic  task 
of  locating  this  vast  acreage,  and  actually  succeed- 
ed, in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  in  taking  up  over 
five  hundred  thousand  acres,  mostly  in  fine  timber 
lands,  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Kansas.     In 


Of  Historical  Interest  173 

addition  to  the  personal  labor  this  involved,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  advance  for  the  original  pur- 
chase, for  services,  taxes  and  interest  another  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars  over  and  above  the 
original  endowment  of  the  same  amount  that  he 
had  provided.  Before  1870  the  value  of  the  scrip 
was  so  much  enhanced  that  it  was  possible  to  sell 
some  three  hundred  thousand  acres  of  the  part  not 
located  at  about  one  dollar  per  acre,  but  this  was 
done  against  Mr.  Cornell's  judgment.  At  another 
time,  when  he  was  urged  to  sell  a  portion  of  the 
lands  at  a  sacrifice,  he  said  in  effect,  "No,  I  will 
wear  my  old  coat  and  hat  a  little  longer  and  let  you 
have  a  little  more  money  out  of  my  own  pocket. " 
In  October,  1874,  several  months  before  Mr. 
Cornell's  death  his  holdings  were  transferred  to  the 
university.  With  this  transfer  all  the  costs  of 
their  purchase  and  upkeep  were  of  course  also  put 
upon  the  institution  and  it  entered  into  a  period  of 
financial  stress  that  was  almost  as  great  as  that 
borne  by  the  founder  in  his  later  years  and  which 
undoubtedly  hastened  his  death.  Before  1881 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  had  to  be 
taken  from  the  productive  funds  of  the  university 
to  pay  its  own  expenses  and  carry  its  lands.  It 
was  indeed  a  land-poor  institution  at  that  time. 
But,  fortunately,  Mr.  Cornell's  successor  in  the 
management,  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees, Mr.  Henry  W.  Sage,  had  knowledge  of  timber 
lands  and  faith  equal  to  that  of  the  founder,  and  in 
the  face  of  bankruptcy,  held  on.  Thus  in  1881  and 
1882  the  university  was  able  to  realize  two  million 


174  Concerning  Cornell 

three  hundred  thousand  dollars  from  the  sale  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  acres  of  the  land. 

This  cleared  the  financial  skies,  and  it  is  conse- 
quently unnecessary,  here,  to  follow  the  history  of 
the  Land  Grant  farther.  But  to  emphasize  the 
sagacity  of  the  founder  it  should  be  noted  that 
from  a  federal  gift  that  was  expected  originally  to 
yield  an  annual  income  of  only  forty  thousand 
dollars,  Cornell  University  has  realized  over  five 
and  one-half  million  dollars  which  in  1915  brought 
an  income  of  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars.    Ezra  Cornell  sowed  one  to  reap  ten. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  the  attacks 
on  Mr.  Cornell  and  his  institution  when  it  was 
first  sought  to  secure  all  the  Land  Grant  for  Cor- 
nell did  not  grow  less  bitter  or  decrease  in  volume 
as  the  new  university  got  established  and  the 
founder  began  his  land-locating  operations.  The 
latter  were  in  themselves  calculated  to  arouse  sus- 
picion on  part  of  those  who  have  little  faith  in  the 
honesty  of  purpose  of  any  man,  and  to  give  oppor- 
tunity for  the  slanders  of  the  invidious.  A  shrewd 
business  man  intrusted  with  a  state  resource  that 
might  be  made  to  yield  millions — was  it  natural  to 
expect  that  he  would  not  himself  profit  enormous- 
ly? And  the  fundamental  innovations  of  the  in- 
stitution itself  aroused  the  antagonism  of  many 
honest  but  conservative  people.  The  public  relies 
on  its  own  inertia  to  crush  the  individual  reformer, 
and  generally  succeeds,  but  any  reform  or  change 
backed  by  great  material  resources  it  fears  and 
hates. 


Of  Historical  Interest  L75 

In  18G9  a  Rochester  paper  published  an  edi- 
torial article  asserting  that  Mr.  Cornell's  land- 
scrip  operations  were  one  of  the  most  stupendous 
jobs  ever  "put  up"  against  the  state  and  asked 
"what  becomes  of  the  twenty-three  million  dollars 
that  will  be  realized  on  these  lands  ?  They  will  go 
to  the  Cornell  family.  Mr.  Cornell  will  sell  the 
lands  to  a  company  of  which  he  is  chief,  fixing  his 
own  price,  and  his  company  will  make  twenty-five 
to  thirty  million  dollars. "  This  attack  Mr.  Cornell 
answered  simply  by  explaining  in  full  his  dealings 
and  in  conclusion,  adding,  that  he  had  lived  in  the 
state  sixty  years,  had  had  personal  and  official  re- 
lations with  a  great  many  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
would  leave  to  their  judgment  on  the  editors  and 
himself  the  onus  for  the  epithets  "swindler"  and 
"corruptionist."  This  by  no  means  put  a  stop  to 
the  slanders,  and  when,  in  1873,  a  bill  was  intro- 
duced for  a  settlement  between  Mr.  Cornell  and 
the  state,  the  occasion  was  seized  by  the  repre- 
sentative from  the  district  of  the  People's  College 
for  an  especially  vicious  attempt  to  besmirch 
Mr.  Cornell,  by  denouncing  him  once  more  as  an 
unscrupulous  and  iniquitous  land  grabber.  This 
speech  created  a  sensation  and  was  widely  quoted 
by  the  press.  Mr.  Cornell  at  once  requested  by 
telegraph  an  investigation  by  a  commission  of  citi- 
zens. After  an  exhaustive  examination  not  only  of 
Mr.  Cornell's  dealings,  but  of  the  whole  conduct  of 
the  university,  this  commission  reported  that  no 
single  fact  indicated  that  Mr.  Cornell  had  sought 
to  gain  any  pecuniary  advantage  for  himself  or  his 


176  Concerning  Cornell 

family  and  that  while  some  witnesses  objected 
strenuously  to  the  conduct  of  the  business  between 
the  state  and  Mr.  Cornell  and  the  objects  he  sought 
to  achieve,  all  disclaimed  any  purpose  to  charge 
that  he  had  enriched  himself.  This  complete  vin- 
dication finally  allayed  the  general  abuse.  An  ex- 
ception was  the  Rochester  newspaper  that  had 
been  too  sorely  wounded  to  quit  and  continued  to 
assail  Mr.  Cornell  up  to  the  year  of  his  death. 

The  institution  fared  no  better.  Mr.  White, 
while  he  had  gone  so  far  as  t©  draw  up  a  "plan  of 
organization/'  had  no  idea  of  becoming  its  first 
president.  His  duties  as  president  of  a  bank,  di- 
rector of  several  others,  and  of  sundry  corpora- 
tions; as  senator  of  New  York  State  and  lecturer  at 
the  University  of  Michigan,  seemed  to  him  suffi- 
ciently varied  and  involved  without  adding  any 
further  burdens.  When  nominated  for  the  position 
by  Mr.  Cornell,  he  was  greatly  surprised  and  only 
consented  to  serve  with  much  reluctance.  A  wiser 
thing  than  his  election  to  the  presidency  has  seldom 
been  done.  By  this  act  the  flood  of  ideas  that  Mr. 
White  in  his  years  of  experience  as  student  and 
teacher  had  been  gathering,  was  permitted  to  flow 
unhampered  over  the  dry-as-dust  system  of  uni- 
versity education  that  had  so  long  prevailed  in  the 
United  States;  a  flood  that  was  to  irrigate  and 
bring  the  field  to  a  new  fruitfulness,  not  only  at 
Cornell,  but  elsewhere  as  well.  This  very  fresh- 
ness, however,  made  the  new  institution  a  bright 
target  for  self-appointed  critics  and  brought  also  a 
variety  of  other  troubles. 


8&& 


The  First  Faculty 

Picture  reproduced  by  courtesy  of  B.  S.  Monroe 


Hon. 
Hon. 


Prof.  D.  Willard  Fiske 
Prof.  Theodore  W.  Dwight 
Prof.  Goldwin  Smith 
Prof.  James  R.  Lowell 
Prof.  Wm.  C.  Russell 
.   George  Wm.  Curtis 
.   Prof.  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Wilson 
.   Prof.  John  L.  Morris 
.   Prof.  Ziba  H.  Potter* 
.   Prof.  Homer  B.  Sprague 
.   Prof.  James  M.  Hart* 
C.  Caldwell 

Names  as  listed  by  photographer  except  for  corrections  in  spell- 
ing and  initials.  Also  those  marked  *  were  assistant  professors, 
and  of  these,  Thomas  F.  Crane  is  omitted,  as  well  as  Albert  X. 
Prentiss,  James  M.  Crafts  and  Albert  S.  Wheeler,  full  professor-, 
as  given  in  a  list  by  Dean  Huffcut,  while  the  name  of  Lewis  Spauld- 
ing  does  not  appear  in   Dean  Huffcut's  list. 


Ezra  Cornell,  Founder  12 

A.  D.  White,  President  13 

Prof.  Louis  Agassiz  14 

Prof.  C.  Fred  Hartt  15 

Prof.  Eli  W.  Blake  16 

Prof.  James  Law  1 

Prof.  Lewis  Spaulding*  18 

Major  Joseph  H.  Whittlesev  19 

Prof.  Burt  G.  Wilder  20 

Prof.  Win.  C.  Cleveland  21 

Prof.  Evan  W.  Evans  22 
23.   Prof.  George 


£  \\  X   \  ■> 


Of  Historical  Interest  177 

Learning  by  rote  with  dull  recitations  was  to  be 
put  in  the  background.  The  brightest  young  stu- 
dents of  the  most  eminent  scholars  were  to  con- 
stitute the  resident  faculty.  This  faculty  in  turn, 
as  well  as  the  student  body,  was  to  be  inspired  by 
lecture-series  given  by  eminent  nonresident  pro- 
fessors. Instead  of  a  rigidly  prescribed  course,  the 
student  was  to  have  the  widest  possible  latitude  in 
his  choice  of  studies.  Students  in  classical  courses 
were  to  meet  and  work  with  students  in  the  agri- 
cultural and  mechanical  colleges,  all  were  to  be 
equal  in  dignity  and  standing  in  the  university 
community.  Mr.  Cornell  had  said  "I  would  found 
an  institution  where  any  person  can  find  instruction 
in  any  study. "  Ambitious  and  energetic  students 
lacking  the  necessary  funds  for  pursuing  a  college 
course  were  to  be  provided  with  an  opportunity  to 
labor  for  their  self-support.  The  charter  of  the 
university  provided  for  one  scholarship  to  be 
awarded  annually  in  each  assembly  district  of  the 
state,  entitling  the  holder  to  free  tuition  for  four 
years.  Co-education  was  implied,  though  the  in- 
stitution did  not  at  first  definitely  commit  itself  to 
admit  women.  The  students  were  to  be  considered 
as  responsible  citizens;  faculty  members  were  not 
to  act  as  policemen.  The  institution  was  to  be 
strictly  nonsectarian — "at  no  time  shall  a  majority 
of  the  board  of  trustees  be  of  any  one  religious  sect 
or  of  no  religious  sect;"  "persons  of  every  religious 
denomination  or  of  no  religious  denomination  shall 
be  equally  eligible  to  all  offices  and  appointments. M 
The  trustees  were  not  to  be  appointed  for  life,  but 


178  Concerning  Cornell 

only  for  five-year  terms,  they  were  to  be  chosen  by 
ballot  and  the  alumni,  eventually,  were  to  select 
one-third  of  their  number.  No  honorary  degrees 
were  to  be  conferred. 

While  these  ideas  are  old  now,  and  have  in 
many  instances  been  adopted  elsewhere,  they 
created  a  great  commotion  then,  as  may  well  be 
imagined  if  one  will  picture  the  stir  that  would 
result  if  an  equal  number  of  radical  departures 
were  proposed  by  some  foundation  of  the  present 
time.  Before  Cornell  came  into  being,  universities 
existed  almost  solely  for  the  professional  and  social 
classes.  The  union  of  literary  and  practical  studies 
upon  an  absolute  equality,  with  liberty  of  choice 
on  part  of  the  student  in  the  one  field  or  the  other 
or  both  was  the  fundamental  feature  of  the  "Cor- 
nell Idea,"  and  those  in  authority  at  the  older 
institutions  immediately  declared  that  the  experi- 
ment was  foredoomed  to  failure.  Charles  W.  Eliot, 
himself  later  president  of  Harvard,  gave  it  [Atlantic 
Monthly,  Vol.  23,  p.  215]  as  his  deliberate  judgment 
that  the  practical  spirit  and  the  literary  and  scho- 
lastic spirit  were  incompatible  within  the  same  walls. 
Others  were  not  so  restrained  in  their  statements, 
one  of  the  leading  New  York  city  newspapers  re- 
peatedly charged  President  White  with  "degrading 
classical  studies."  When,  however,  a  few  years 
after  the  opening  of  the  university,  intercollegiate 
contests  in  Latin,  Greek  and  mathematics  were 
staged  and  Cornell  took  more  first  prizes  in  these 
subjects  than  did  all  the  older  institutions  together, 
the  talk  of  degrading  the  classics  somehow  died  out. 


Of  Historical  Interest  L79 

The  idea  of  providing  labor  for  self-support  of 
students  led  to  other  difficulties — many  of  them 
quite  comical  as  they  now  appear.  During  Presi- 
dent White's  absence  in  Europe  for  the  purchase  of 
equipment  and  securing  a  faculty,  the  founder  took 
it  upon  himself  to  write  a  letter  to  the  New  York 
Tribune  announcing  that  students  could  support 
themselves  while  pursuing  their  studies  one-half  of 
each  day  in  the  university  by  laboring  the  other 
half.  Had  President  White  been  consulted  he 
probably  would  have  pointed  out  that  the  average 
student  hardly  marks  up  to  Ezra  Cornell  stuff  in 
earnestness,  endurance  and  capability  for  self- 
sacrifice.  As  a  result  of  this  letter  a  lot  of  eager 
applicants  came  on  at  the  opening  of  the  university 
and  insisted  on  being  provided  with  work.  Those 
who  were  able  to  perform  any  sort  of  skilled  labor 
were  employed  readily  enough,  but  many  had  not 
even  done  any  manual  labor.  It  was  shortly  found 
that  it  would  be  cheaper  to  support  most  of  these 
at  a  hotel  and  to  employ  day-laborers  in  their 
places  than  to  let  them  go  on  "working."  Thus 
the  husking  of  the  corn  from  the  university  farm 
by  student  labor  was  found  to  cost  more  than  the 
corn  could  be  sold  for  in  the  market!  One  man 
came  all  the  way  from  Russia,  had  in  fact  to  de- 
pend on  charity  to  make  the  last  stages  of  the 
journey,  and  on  arrival  was  found  to  be  utterly 
incapable  of  sustained  effort  of  any  kind,  mental  or 
physical.  The  most  definite  aim  he  seemed  to  have 
was  to  convert  the  United  States  to  the  Russo- 
Greek  church.    Others,  good  scholars,  but  unable 


180  Concerning  Cornell 

to  do  even  the  lightest  tasks  in  caring  for  the  uni- 
versity grounds,  wrote  bitterly  to  the  metropolitan 
journals  denouncing  Mr.  Cornell's  bad  faith.  Of 
like  nature  were  the  troubles  that  arose  from  the 
motto,  "I  would  found  an  institution  where  any 
person  can  find  instruction  in  any  study. "  A  west- 
ern teamster  offered  his  services,  and  on  being 
asked  what  he  wished  to  study  said  he  wanted  to 
learn  to  read!  Of  course  he  was  very  indignant 
when  told  that  the  public  school  was  the  place 
for  him.  All  these  reminiscences  and  many  others 
of  similar  nature,  are  recounted  by  President  White 
in  his  "Autobiography,"  and  in  his  own  inimitable 
and  fascinating  way. 

A  paper  at  a  rival  college  said  that  the  "op- 
tional" course  at  Cornell  must  be  a  very  hard  one, 
and  referred  also  to  the  probable  undergraduate 
pleasure  in  taking  courses  under  "nonresident 
professors. "  In  another  sense,  it  was  perhaps  this 
kind  of  a  professor  from  Cornell  that  made  neces- 
sary one  of  the  few  faculty  interferences  with 
student  self-government.  Various  complaints  had 
been  made  against  a  stalwart  New  England  student 
and  finally  he  was  summoned  before  the  whole 
faculty,  solemnly  assembled  around  a  long  table. 
The  culprit  was  brought  in,  and  after  evading  vari- 
ous questions  with  great  ingenuity  he  was  asked, 

"Mr.  ,  did  you,  last  month,  in  the  village  of 

Dundee,  Yates  County,  pass  yourself  off  as  Pro- 
fessor   of  this  university,  announcing  a  lecture 

and  delivering  it  in  his  name  ? "  He  answered 
calmly,  "Sir,  I  did  go  to  Dundee  in  Yates  County, 


Of  Historical  Interest 


181 


I  did  deliver  a  lecture  there,  I  did  not  announce 

myself  as  Professor  of  Cornell  University; 

what  others  may  have  done  I  do  not  know;  all  I 
know  is  that  at  the  close  of  my  lecture  several 
leading  men  of  the  town  came  forward  and  said 
they  had  heard  a  good  many  lectures  given  by 
college  professors  from  all  parts  of  the  state  and 
that  they  had  never  had  one  as  good  as  mine." 
President  White  says  he  had  difficulty  in  restrain- 
ing himself,  the  faculty  were  plainly  in  the  same 
condition,  the  youth  was  hurriedly  dismissed,  and 
the  faculty  enjoyed  a  hilarious  laugh  and  the  cul- 
prit was  troubled  no  further.  It  must  not  be  sup- 
posed that  women  have  only  become  militant  since 
they  have  made  suffrage  a  pertinacious  political 
issue.  When  women  were  admitted  it  was  feared 
that  a  great  deal  of  "spooning"  would  result. 
Quite  the  contrary  proved  to  be  the  case.  What 
did  make  trouble  in  later  days  was  the  "lady" 
warden  and  the  rules  of  Sage  College,  the  women's 


182  Concerning  Cornell 

dormitory.  Again  and  again  committees  came  to 
the  president  insisting  that  there  should  be  no  lady 
warden,  that  the  women  should  be  free  to  go  every 
hour  of  the  twenty-four  as  were  the  men.  This 
led  in  time  to  a  Women's  Self  Government  Asso- 
ciation which  continues  into  the  present.  It  is 
quite  possible  that  some  of  its  regulations  of  con- 
duct are  more  severe  than  were  those  imposed 
by  the  "lady"  warden  of  earlier  days. 

If  the  "Cornell  Idea"  of  great  liberality  in 
choice  of  study  and  combination  of  classical  and 
practical  courses  provoked  criticism,  the  notion  of 
a  nonsectarian  control  and  pulpit  may  indeed  be 
said  to  have  started  a  storm,  primarily  because 
the  denominational  colleges  feared  the  competition 
of  Cornell.  For  years  Cornell  University  was  de- 
nounced as  irreligious,  and  as  a  godless  institution. 
Yet  all  the  public  schools  of  the  state  were,  and 
are,  similarly  wholly  free  from  denominational  con- 
trol. The  charge  of  irreligion  was  groundless.  At 
first,  simple  religious  exercises  were  conducted 
each  morning  except  Sunday  in  a  classroom,  at- 
tendance at  which,  though  voluntary,  was  quite 
good.  To  provide  for  Sunday  services,  Henry  W. 
Sage  offered  to  build  a  chapel,  one  of  his  sons 
endowed  a  preachership  fund,  another  provided 
a  fine  organ.  The  chapel  was  erected  and  the 
preachership  endowed  under  the  conditions  that 
services  should  never  be  given  over  to  any  one  sect 
and  that  attendance  be  voluntary.  On  the  estab- 
lishment of  such  Sunday  services  the  attacks  on 
Cornell  changed  from  accusations  of  godlessness  to 


Of  Historical  Interest  183 

that  of  "indifferentism."  What  really  irked  the 
sincere  churchmen  seems  rather  to  have  been  Cor- 
nell's "undifferentiationism"  (a  word  not  much 
more  awkward  than  indifferentism  which  they 
might  have  coined) ;  if  so,  it  indicates  the  narrow- 
ness of  some  of  the  clergy  in  a  time  not  long  past. 


SOUTH    SIDE    OF    SAGE    CHAPEL 


In  any  event  Cornell's  system  of  religious  instruct- 
ion bids  fair  to  become  the  prevailing  one  in  the 
universities  of  our  country. 

Invitations  to  preach  in  the  chapel  were  ac- 
cepted by  eminent  clergymen  of  all  Christian  de- 
nominations but  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith.  That  the  latter  have  not  sent  some  of  their 
learned  divines  continues  to  be  regrettable.  A 
distinct  effort  was  made  to  keep  out  all  sensational 
preaching,  the  chapel  was  not  to  be  a  place  for 
amusement  or  "for  ground  and  lofty  tumbling  by 
clerical  performers."  This  ideal  should  command 
the  attention  of  those  who  under  other  auspices 


184  Concerning  Cornell 

and  a  different  roof  have  in  late  years  brought  re- 
formed train  robbers,  and,  if  one  may  put  it  that 
way,  a  reformed  baseball  player  to  give  religious 
addresses  at  Cornell. 

Having  followed  so  far  the  history  of  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  concept  of  the  university  it 
remains  now  to  go  back  to  the  opening  day  of  the 
new  institution  and  gain  an  insight  of  its  material 
and  community  status  and  development. 

It  was  indeed,  as  Ezra  Cornell  truly  said  in 
his  speech  on  the  opening  day,  October  7,  1868, 
not  to  see  a  university  finished  but  to  see  one  begun 
that  the  guests  had  been  invited.  Perhaps  an  ex- 
ception should  be  made  of  the  two  creators  of  the 
institution,  they  were  indeed  "done"  at  the  time. 
Mr.  Cornell,  from  his  labors  in  locating  lands,  Mr. 
White,  from  travel  in  Europe  securing  materials; 
both  from  the  arduous  toil  of  preparation  for  the 
opening,  were  worn  out;  and  had  been  under  care 
of  physicians  and  in  bed  for  two  or  three  days  be- 
fore the  inauguration.  On  the  appointed  day  they 
had  to  be  taken  in  carriages  to  Cornell  (Ithaca)  Li- 
brary Hall  where  the  morning  exercises  were  held. 

Mr.  Cornell,  unable  to  stand,  read  his  address 
in  a  low  tone,  seated  in  a  chair.  It  was  a  very  im- 
pressive scene  and  almost  incapacitated  Mr.  White, 
also  worn  by  illness,  from  speaking  after  him. 
Their  two  addresses  embodied  the  whole  spirit 
and  purpose  of  the  university,  ideals  that  have 
since  all  been  practically  realized.  Mr.  Cornell's 
words:  "I  hope  we  have  laid  the  foundation  of 
an  institution  which  shall  combine  practical  with 


Of  Historical  Interest  185 

liberal  education,  which  shall  fit  the  youth  of  our 
country  for  the  professions,  the  farms,  the  mines, 
the  manufactories,  for  the  investigation  of  science, 
and  for  mastering  all  the  practical  questions  of 
life  with  success  and  honor, "  and  Mr.  White's 
elaboration  as  to  how  this  was  to  be  done;  pledg- 
ing the  university  to  a  policy  that  should  unite 
liberal  and  practical  education  under  perfect  equal- 
ity among  widely  differing  courses  of  study,  de- 
claring war  on  pedantry  and  Philistinism,  provide 
an  epitomized  statement  of  all  that  has  been  since 
accomplished. 

But  of  material  possessions  little  was  visible 
then.  The  only  building  for  instruction,  Morrill 
Hall,  was  unfinished,  Cascadilla  Hall,  which  was 
to  be  the  home  of  many  of  the  faculty  and  stu- 
dents, had  no  doors  on  many  of  the  rooms  and  no 
heating  apparatus.  The  beautiful  campus  of  to- 
day was  for  the  most  part  a  ragged  cornfield  sur- 
rounded by  rail  fences.  At  the  north  end,  where 
now  is  Sibley  College,  rickety  barns  and  slovenly 
barnyards  offended  the  senses.  Between  the  Cas- 
cadilla building  and  the  South  University  build- 
ing, as  Morrill  Hall  was  then  called,  were  two 
deep,  unbridged  ravines,  Cascadilla  Creek  gorge 
and  a  lesser  one  that  extended  up  across  what  is 
now  the  green  between  Sage  College  and  the  old 
Armory.  Not  even  a  completed  road  connected 
the  two.  Aside  from  the  unfinished  Morrill  Hall, 
the  only  other  university  structure  was  a  tempo- 
rary wooden  campanile  in  which  hung  a  chime  of 
nine  bells,  the  gift  of  Miss  Jennie  McGraw. 


186  Concerning  Cornell 

Yet  there  were  compensations.  The  day  was 
perfect,  the  time  that  of  Indian  Summer  and  in  the 
afternoon  when  the  exercises  were  continued  on 
the  campus,  there  was  spread  before  the  audience 
a  landscape  clothed  in  all  the  gorgeous  panoply  of 
a  deciduous-forest  autumn,  caressed  by  balmy 
breezes  and  bathed  in  hazy,  golden  sunlight.  Not 
only  that,  but  a  view  that  embraced  miles  of  hill 
and  dale  and  the  blue  sheen  of  Lake  Cayuga,  a 
panorama  that  for  variety  and  picturesqueness  is 
unsurpassed  by  the  site  of  any  other  university  in 
the  world.  Hence,  when  at  the  close,  George 
William  Curtis,  the  orator  of  the  day,  burst  into 
his  peroration,  comparing  the  university  with  a 
newly  launched  ship — "all  its  sails  set,  its  rigging 
full  and  complete  from  stem  to  stern,  its  crew  em- 
barked, its  passengers  on  board;  and  even  while 
I  speak  to  you,  even  while  this  autumn  sun  sets  in 
the  west  the  ship  begins  to  glide  over  the  waves, 
it  goes  forth  rejoicing,  every  stitch  of  canvas 
spread,  all  its  colors  flying,  its  bells  ringing,  its 
heart-strings  beating  with  hope  and  joy;  and  I 
say,  God  bless  the  ship,  God  bless  the  builder, 
God  bless  the  chosen  captain,  God  bless  the  crew, 
and,  gentlemen  undergraduates,  may  God  bless 
all  the  passengers!"  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  hearts 
of  all  those  present  swelled  with  emotion,  and  it 
was  no  doubt  thought  then,  as  now,  that  the  bells 
of  the  chime  ringing  out  for  the  first  time  put  a 
fitting  climax  to  a  very  notable  occasion. 

One  interesting  thing  was  the  fact  that  a  larger 
number,  four  hundred,  of  students  pressed  for- 


Of  Historical  Interest  187 

ward  for  admission  to  the  new  institution  on  its 
inaugural  day  than  had  ever  entered  any  college 
in  the  country  as  a  single  class.  Four  seniors,  of 
whom  Senator  Foraker  was  one,  left  a  Pennsyl- 
vania college  with  the  express  purpose  of  becoming 
members  of  the  class  of  '69,  first  to  be  graduated 
from  Cornell.  The  need  for  more  buildings  and 
equipment  immediately  became  acute,  indeed  this 
has  harassed  the  presidents  and  trustees  from  that 
opening  day  until  now.  In  1869,  a  large  wooden 
building  was  erected  as  a  temporary  expedient,  but, 
although  permanent  building  after  building  fol- 
lowed, this  wooden  structure  continued  to  house 
the  latest  overcrowded  department  until  1890, 
when  it  disappeared  from  the  campus.  In  the  fall 
of  1870,  White  Hall  was  finished,  and  in  1871,  Sib- 
ley College,  the  gift  of  Hiram  Sibley,  was  erected, 
and  McGraw  Hall,  the  gift  of  John  McGraw,  as 
well  as  President  White's  residence  on  the  campus, 
were  being  built.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  of  McGraw  Hall  in  1869,  a  local  orator,  in- 
spired no  doubt  by  the  grand  effort  of  Curtis  at 
the  inaugural  said,  "Fellow  citizens,  when  Mr. 
Cornell  found  himself  rich  beyond  the  dreams  of 
avarice,  did  he  give  himself  up  to  a  life  of  inglori- 
ous ease?  No,  fellow  citizens;  he  reared  the  beau- 
tiful public  library  in  yonder  valley.  But  did  he 
then  retire  to  a  life  of  luxury?  No,  fellow  citizens, 
he  came  up  to  this  height  (here  a  great  wave  of 
the  hand  toward  the  vast  amphitheatre  below)  and 
he  established  this  universe!"  As  Goldwin  Smith 
remarked  to  President  White  who  had  not  caught 


188  Concerning  Cornell 

this,  and  to  whom  he  repeated  it.  "There  is  noth- 
ing more  to  be  said;  no  one  need  ever  praise  the 
work  of  Mr.  Cornell  again. " 

In  1875,  both  Sage  Chapel  and  Sage  College, 
the  gifts  of  Henry  W.  Sage,  were  dedicated.  Here 
it  may  be  mentioned,  that  in  actual  money  gifts 
Mr.  Sage  was  the  greatest  benefactor  among  all 
those,  not  even  excepting  Ezra  Cornell,  who 
helped  so  generously  in  the  early  years.  Mr.  Sage's 
gifts  eventually  attained  the  grand  total  of  one 
million  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars,  to  say  nothing  of  his  services  as  trustee  in 
conserving  Ezra  Cornell's  land  investments,  so 
that  when  the  student  of  the  present  day  refers 
to  Cornell  buildings  or  other  entities  to  which  the 
name  Sage  is  attached,  it  should  not  be  lightly, 
but  with  the  same  sense  of  appreciation  that  per- 
tains to  the  words  Cornell  and  White.  More- 
over what  Mr.  Sage  provided,  he  also  provided  for 
and  generously,  and  thereby  hangs  a  moral  that 
other  intending  benefactors  who  may  read  these 
lines  will  do  well  to  search  out. 

In  1883,  Franklin  Hall  and  the  old  Armory  and 
Gymnasium  were  built  by  the  trustees.  Between 
1885  and  1892,  Barnes  Hall,  Morse  Hall,  Lincoln 
Hall,  the  University  Library  and  Boardman  Hall 
were  erected.  The  placing  of  Morse  Hall  on  the 
promontory  extending  from  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  quadrangle  was  a  mistake,  for  this  site  had 
previously  afforded  one  of  the  finest  views  in  this 
or  any  other  country.  The  first  university  preach- 
er to  occupy  the  Sage   Chapel   pulpit,  Phillips 


Of  Historical  Interest  189 

Brooks,  when  standing  on  this  spot  was  quite 
evidently  overawed  by  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
spread  at  his  feet.  Happily  this  error  will  prob- 
ably be  soon  effaced,  but  through  what  was  for  a 
time  a  distinct  calamity,  the  almost  total  destruc- 
tion by  fire  of  the  original  Morse  Hall,  and  subse- 
quent additions,  on  the  morning  of  February  13, 
1916.  Cornell  has  now  the  fine,  new  Baker  La- 
boratory of  Chemistry  that  occupies  a  site  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  campus,  overlooking  the 
quadrangle.  But  provision  has  been  made  for 
preservation  of  the  view  from  this  high  point.  Un- 
happily, however,  President  White  did  not  live  to 
see  the  original  mistake  in  location  of  Morse  Hall, 
which  he  greatly  deplored,  completely  rectified. 

The  building  of  the  University  Library  was 
the  indirect  outcome  of  the  McGraw-Fiske  will 
contest,  another  most  dramatic  episode  in  the 
history  of  Cornell,  and  again  one  that  had  a  calam- 
itous aspect.  Miss  Jennie  McGraw,  who  gave  the 
original  chime  of  bells  that  were  rung  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  university,  was  the  daughter  of  the  John 
McGraw  who  provided  McGraw  Hall.  At  the 
death  of  her  father  in  1877  she  inherited  the  bulk 
of  his  great  fortune.  About  a  year  later  Miss 
McGraw  went  abroad  in  search  of  health,  and 
while  on  this  trip  was  married  to  Willard  Fiske, 
a  professor  of  Cornell  University  and  its  librarian, 
at  the  American  legation  at  Berlin,  where  President 
White  was  then  residing  as  minister  to  Germany. 

Just  before  her  departure  for  Europe,  Miss 
McGraw  had  given  orders  for  the  construction  of 


190  Concerning  Cornell 

a  magnificent  mansion  on  a  site  just  below  the 
Morse  Hall  site,  and  commanding,  like  it,  a  most 
extensive  prospect  of  the  valley  and  lake  below. 
This  mansion  she  was  destined  never  to  occupy, 
for  on  returning  to  her  home  city,  ill,  in  1881,  she 
lingered  only  a  few  days  in  sight  of  the  towers  of 
her  new  residence  and  on  October  1st  of  that  year 
passed  away.  The  mansion  was  purchased  later 
by  the  Chi  Psi  fraternity  and,  singularly  enough, 
was,  on  December  7,  1906,  like  its  neighbor,  Morse 
Hall  at  a  later  date,  destroyed  by  fire;  a  fire  marked 
by  what  has  been  perhaps  the  most  frightful  trage- 
dy in  the  history  of  Cornell,  for  it  cost  the  lives  of 
four  students  and  three  volunteer  firemen  of  Ithaca. 

The  memory  of  this  tragedy  should  be  kept 
green,  not  only  because  of  the  many  precious 
lives  it  cost,  but  also  because  it  was  the  scene  of 
deeds  of  heroism  that  must  ever  persist  as  shining 
monuments  of  Cornell  spirit  and  utter  sacrifice. 

It  was  an  icy-cold  and  black-dark  December 
night.  A  gale  of  wind  howled  without,  accompa- 
nied by  fitful  snow  flurries,  blinding  while  they 
lasted.  At  midnight,  when  the  last  man  to  bed 
of  the  inmates  of  the  doomed  structure  had  re- 
tired, there  was  no  warning  of  the  impending  dis- 
aster; at  forty  minutes  past  three  in  the  morning 
the  whole  mansion  was  enveloped  in  flames.  How 
long  before  that  the  twenty-six  members  of  the 
fraternity  had  been  awakened  by  the  smoke  and 
flames  no  one  knows,  but  when  they  first  realized 
the  fire  all  egress  by  the  stairways  had  already  been 
cut  off.    There  were  no  rope  fire-escapes,  so  that 


Of  Historical  Interest  lqj 

the  only  hope  of  rescue  lay  in  getting  out  on  a  win- 
dow sill,  and  from  there  to  the  ground;  or  else 
climbing  to  the  roof,  and  either  climbing  or  jump- 
ing from  that.  The  sleeping  rooms  were,  in  every 
case,  filled  with  smoke  when  the  men  awoke;  in 
some  the  flames  were  already  gaining  entrance; 
there  was  no  time  to  secure  any  clothing. 

Grelle,  Pope,  Uihlein  and  DeCamp  first  climbed 
to  the  roof.  Their  cries  gave  the  alarm.  On  the 
roof  they  separated.  DeCamp  and  Uihlein  escaped 
by  climbing  down  the  vines  along  the  outside  wall 
for  some  distance,  and  then  jumping  to  the  ground. 
Pope  and  Grelle  determined  to  try  another  route. 
Pope  led  the  way  across  the  roof  to  a  place  directly 
over  the  window  of  McCutcheon's  room.  Here 
Pope  swung  over  and  down,  and  kicked  in  the 
window.  Flames  immediately  burst  out  and  en- 
veloped him.  He  let  go  his  hold  and  fell  to  the 
ground.  Then,  recovering,  he  ran  across  the  lawns 
to  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi  house,  about  two  hundred 
yards  away,  and  aroused  its  occupants  by  his 
screams.  Almost  crazed  by  the  pain  of  his  burns, 
he  collapsed  as  soon  as  the  doors  were  opened.  He 
was  taken  to  the  hospital  later,  and,  although  his 
life  was  despaired  of  for  days,  eventually  recovered. 

While  Pope  and  Grelle  were  climbing  over  the 
roof  toward  McCutcheon's  rooms,  McCutcheon 
himself  was  being  rescued  by  his  roommate, 
Curry.  Curry  awoke  to  find  the  room  filled  with 
a  dense  smoke.  Half  unconscious,  he  broke  out 
upon  a  balcony  through  a  window,  and  after  being 
revived  there  by  the  fresh  air,  returned  to  Mc- 


192  Concerning  Cornell 

Cutcheon,  who  was  unconscious.  He  attempted  to 
carry  McCutcheon  out,  but  failed,  and  barely  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  balcony  again.  Once  more 
he  tried,  and  this  time  managed  to  drag  McCutch- 
eon, whose  night  clothes  were  now  in  flames,  to  the 
window.  Here  he  found  himself  exhausted  by  his 
efforts,  and  could  not  take  the  body  to  the  balcony. 
But  help  had  arrived.  Halliday,  Gibson  and  Good- 
speed,  men  from  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  house,  who 
had  also  been  aroused  by  the  cries  of  the  men  on 
the  roof,  had  brought  two  ladders  with  them,  and, 
climbing  from  these  over  the  snow-covered  slating, 
they  secured  McCutcheon  at  the  window,  and 
carried  him  to  the  ground.  His  burns  were,  how- 
ever, fatal;  he  died  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day,  after  only  a  few  minutes  of  consciousness. 
Curry,  after  McCutcheon's  rescue,  reentered  the 
house  for  a  third  time,  in  a  vain  effort  to  find 
Nichols  and  Grelle,  but,  baffled  by  the  flames  and 
smoke,  was  compelled  to  give  up,  and,  covered  with 
cuts  and  burns,  had  to  be  assisted  to  the  hospital. 
Grelle  was  left  behind  on  the  roof  after  Pope 
had  fallen  to  the  ground.  The  flames  from  the 
window  that  Pope  had  kicked  in,  swept  toward 
the  roof  and  Grelle  stepped  back  to  escape  their 
heat,  only  to  fall  into  a  skylight,  from  whence  he 
dropped  into  a  closet  near  McCutcheon's  room. 
He  was  seen  to  come  into  the  room  from  which 
Curry  and  McCutcheon  had  been  rescued,  and 
make  for  a  window.  Just  as  he  reached  it,  the 
floor  gave  way  and  he  disappeared  from  view. 
Death  had  claimed  two  victims. 


McGraw  Hall 

One  of  the  First  Gifts  to  the  University 


In  Baker  Court 


Goldwin  Smith 


Of  Historical  Interest  103 

O.  L.  Schmuck,  a  senior,  had  made  his  way  to 
the  gutter  of  the  upper  roof,  through  a  gable  win- 
dow, when  he  remembered  that  his  roommate,  W. 
H.  Nichols,  also  a  senior,  was  yet  in  the  house. 
With  the  greatest  fortitude,  he  reentered  the  room, 
then  a  mass  of  flames,  to  save  him.  The  task  was 
hopeless,  and  with  clothing  in  flames,  Schmuck 
regained  the  window  and  dove  through  it  to  the 
ground,  three  stories  below.  His  fall  was  broken 
by  a  bush,  but  he  received  injuries  which  caused 
his  death  in  the  hospital  a  few  hours  afterward. 
"He  died  indeed,  but  his  work  lives,  very  truly 
lives.,, 

But  the  roll  of  death  was  not  yet  complete. 
The  furious  north  wind,  unabated,  fanned  the 
flames  so  that  no  amount  of  water  could  quench 
them.  Only  ruined  walls,  on  the  exterior,  and  a 
flaming  mass  inside,  remained  at  six  o'clock.  At 
seven,  most  of  the  firemen  and  spectators  had  left 
the  scene.  But  at  that  time  three  firemen  were 
still  directing  a  stream  through  a  window  on  the 
north  side  of  the  ruin,  when,  without  warning,  the 
massive  stone  wall  fell  outwards,  directly  in  the 
face  of  the  wind,  and  crushed  the  three,  Messrs. 
Rumsey,  Robinson  and  Landon.  Seven  had  now 
given  up  their  lives  and  Death  was  appeased. 

Today  another  structure  occupies  the  site  of  the 
historic  mansion,  but  the  memory  of  the  latter,  its 
tragic  end,  and  of  the  actors  in  that  drama,  can  not 
be  effaced.  "The  pride  of  the  deed  will  remain 
after  the  bitterness  of  grief  has  passed,  and  every 
man  with  the  stamp  of  Cornell  upon  him,  will  stand 


194  Concerning  Cornell 

straighter  at  the  thought:  They  had  tasted  the 
flames,  but  they  went  back.    They  went  back." 

When  Mrs.  Fiske's  will  was  opened  it  was  found 
that  after  giving  her  husband  three  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  and  making  ample  provision  for  those 
near  and  dear  to  her  and  a  multitude  of  charities, 
she  had  left  the  university  an  endowment  of  nearly 
one  and  a  quarter  million  dollars.  Of  this  sum 
forty  thousand  dollars  were  to  be  devoted  to 
providing  a  hospital  for  students  on  the  campus; 
fifty  thousand  dollars  were  to  be  used  for  main- 
taining McGraw  Hall,  and  the  balance  was  given 
for  building  and  endowing  a  university  library. 

This  magnificent  bequest  was,  however,  for 
the  time  completely  lost  to  the  university.  Two 
things  prevented  its  acceptance,  one  that  the 
university  was  chartered  to  hold  only  three  million 
dollars  endowment,  and  it  already  held  funds  ex- 
ceeding that  amount;  second  that  Professor  Fiske 
and  Mrs.  Fiske's  relatives  appeared  as  contestants 
of  the  will,  the  latter  making  claim  under  a  condi- 
tional provision  in  her  father's,  John  McGraw's, 
will.  Mrs.  Fiske's  married  life,  though  it  extended 
only  a  little  over  one  year  (July  14,  1880  to  her 
death  October  1,  1881)  had  been  very  happy;  and 
at  first  Professor  Fiske  joined  most  heartily  in 
carrying  out  the  provisions  of  her  will.  Later, 
however,  Professor  Fiske  decided  to  fight  the  claim 
of  the  university  to  the  bequests  his  wife  had  made. 
A  decision  by  the  Court  of  Appeals,  made  only  a 
few  years  earlier,  that  might  prevent  the  university 
from  accepting  the  bequest,  was  also  discovered  at 


Of  Historical  Interest  195 

about  the  same  time.  The  case  was  carried  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  but  after  seven 
years  of  litigation  the  estate  was  divided  between 
Professor  Fiske  and  the  McGraw  heirs.  That 
Professor  Fiske  held  no  grudge  against  the  univer- 
sity itself  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  on  his  death, 
September  14,  1904,  it  was  found  that  he  had  willed 
over  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  Cornell  for 
a  library  endowment  fund,  and  he  had,  in  addition, 
made  other  gifts  during  his  lifetime.  The  charter 
of  the  university  had,  meanwhile,  been  changed  by 
the  legislature  so  as  to  remove  all  restrictions  in 
regard  to  the  amount  of  its  endowment. 

But  before  the  contest  over  the  will  was  finally 
closed  Henry  W.  Sage  again  came  forward  and 
pledged  himself  to  be  responsible  for  the  cost  of  a 
suitable  library  building,  the  university  to  repay 
him  if  it  finally  won  the  suit.  On  October  7,  1891, 
the  library  was  formally  opened,  and  as  the  case 
was  then  definitely  lost,  Mr.  Sage  at  these  exercises 
not  only  presented  the  university  with  the  building 
but  added  also  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
a  permanent  endowment. 

Any  account  of  the  early  years  of  the  university 
would  be  entirely  inadequate  if  it  failed  to  contain 
more  than  a  reference  to  the  nonresident  professors. 
First  and  foremost  of  these,  in  distinction  perhaps 
according  to  personal  opinion,  but  certainly  first  in 
the  value  of  his  services  to  the  university,  was 
Goldwin  Smith.  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  can  hardly 
be  called  a  nonresident  professor,  for  he  lived  at 
Cascadilla  with  the  rest  of  the  faculty  and  students 


196  Concerning  Cornell 

during  the  first  year,  and  endured  their  privations 
(on  date  April  20, 1869,  is  found  a  memorandum  on 
the  business  manager's  notebook  to  the  effect  "Mr. 
White  wishes  a  bell  for  Prof.  Goldwin  Smith's  room 
to  enable  him  to  call  servants  without  being  obliged 
to  hunt  them  up")  and  steadily  refused  to  accept 
any  compensation.  It  is  true  he  could  afford  this 
last,  but  other  professors  equally  able  to  give  their 
services  without  charge  have  not  always  been  so 
minded.  If  a  later  generation  of  the  public  has 
forgotten  Goldwin  Smith  it  only  marks  the  differ- 
ence between  then  and  now.  His  espousal  of  the 
cause  of  the  North  during  the  time  of  the  Civil  War, 
almost  alone  among  Englishmen,  had  earned  him 
the  deep  gratitude  of  patriotic  Americans.  An  ob- 
server (S.  D.  Halliday)  relates  that,  when,  on  the 
night  of  the  day  of  his  arrival  in  Ithaca,  Goldwin 
Smith  entered  the  Cornell  (Ithaca)  Library  hall  to 
give  his  first  lecture  every  one  in  the  audience  spon- 
taneously rose  and  remained  standing  until  he  had 
taken  his  seat  on  the  platform.  At  that  time 
Professor  Smith  referred  to  the  fact  that  he  was  an 
Englishman  and  was  to  lecture  on  English  history 
but,  he  said,  I  will  try  to  be  impartial  "for  while 
I  love  England  much,  I  love  humanity  more. " 

What  must  have  endeared  Goldwin  Smith  es- 
pecially to  his  Cornell  audiences  was  his  humor, 
his  fund  of  anecdotes,  his  dignity  and  the  habitual 
fastidiousness  of  his  speech.  Yet,  writing  appre- 
ciatively in  the  "North  American  Review"  Vis- 
count Bryce  tells  this  of  his  first  meeting  with  Gold- 
win  Smith  at  Oxford  in  1861.     "Drawing  a  chair 


Of  Historical  Interest 


197 


toward  him, 
I  sat  down 
and  waited. 
Presently  he 
said,  'Of  what 
did  King  John 
die?' I  did  not 
know  and  ad- 
mitted my  ig- 
norance. *  He 
died  of  a  sur- 
feit of  peaches 
and  new  ale' 
said  the  pro- 
fessor, adding 
in  a  reflective 
tone,*  it  would 
give  a  man  a 
considerable  bellyache, '  thereupon  he  proceeded  to 
deliver  in  grave  and  measured  accents,  a  discourse 
upon  the  Angevin  Kings  and  their  policy. "  Such 
was  the  man  whom  only  the  austere  Ezra  Cornell, 
however,  was  privileged  to  call  "Goldwin." 

The  other  nonresident  professors  were  Louis 
Agassiz,  James  Russell  Lowell,  George  William 
Curtis  and  Theodore  William  Dwight,  all  famous 
names  now,  and  men  who  must  in  their  time  have 
done  much  to  make  the  institution  seem  a  real 
university.  Of  Agassiz,  who  was  then  the  foremost 
figure  in  natural  science,  it  is  related  that  once 
when  driving  near  Forest  Home  he  saw  a  strange 
bird  flying  into  the  woods.    Jumping  out  of  his 


GOLDWIN    SMITH     WALK 


198  Concerning  Cornell 

carriage,  he  called  to  a  boy  to  hold  his  horse  and 
then  rushed  pell-mell  after  the  bird.  A  farmer 
coming  along  asked  "whose  horse?"  and  the  boy 
answered  "belongs  to  a  crazy  Dutchman  who 
is  down  in  the  woods  looking  for  a  bird's  nest." 
Agassiz  spoke  good  English  but  on  one  occasion, 
at  least,  got  a  little  mixed.  A  student,  after  one 
of  the  lectures  in  Library  Hall  (most  of  those  by 
the  nonresident  professors  were  given  there)  evi- 
dently of  the  mind  that  this  natural  science  was 
approaching  very  nearly  an  attack  on  the  Bible, 
stood  up  and  asked,  in  effect,  whether  Agassiz 
really  thought  the  world  was  made  in  six  days. 
Agassiz  had  difficulty  in  understanding  his  ques- 
tioner and  asked  him  to  repeat  his  query.  Still 
he  was  in  doubt,  and  the  question  was  repeated 
again.  Then  in  despair  Agassiz  said,  "I  do 
not  mean  what  you  understand."  The  audience 
laughed,  but  the  great  naturalist  probably  never 
knew  why.  Finally  Agassiz  was  made  to  under- 
stand and  he  answered  simply  that  "he  did  not 
regard  the  Bible  as  a  scientific  work  on  geology." 
Such  series  of  lectures  have  continued  to  be  an 
attraction  at  Cornell  down  to  the  present  time. 
The  speakers  are  no  longer  appointed  nonresident 
professors  and  the  lectures  given  by  any  one  man 
are  usually  fewer  in  number  than  was  the  case  in 
the  first  years,  though  there  are  now  several  foun- 
dations that  provide  for  an  extended  treatment  of 
some  topic.  Probably  the  increased  facility  of 
travel  and  the  greater  numbers  that  can  be  reached 
in  a  Cornell  audience  of  today,  together  with  the 


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Of  Historical  Interest  199 

modern  wider  variety  of  interests,  making  it  pos- 
sible and  profitable  for  a  personage  of  national,  or 
even  international  repute,  to  come  to  Cornell  for 
only  a  single  lecture,  are  responsible  for  this  change. 
In  fact  the  number  of  lectures  and  lecturers  is  now 
so  great  that  the  calendar  of  the  week  often  scarce- 
ly affords  them  all  room,  and  a  person  so  minded 
could  attain  a  liberal  education  at  Cornell  by  sim- 
ply attending  free  lectures  by  eminent  personages 
in  every  field  of  art  and  science  pure  and  applied. 
In  such  fashion  then,  have  the  original  nonresident 
lectureships  really  perpetuated  the  old  "Optional 
Course' '  that  was  formally  abolished  and  disap- 
peared from  the  curriculum  in  1896. 

The  following  programme  for  the  year  1915-16 
will  give  some  idea  of  what  is  afforded,  but  it  should 
be  remembered  that  it  includes  only  those  lectur- 
ers who  were  officially  invited  by  the  university. 
In  addition  there  are  each  year  a  multitude  of 
lectures  under  the  auspices  of  departments  and 
various  semi-official  organizations. 

NONRESIDENT  LECTURERS,  1915-16 

Thomas  Hastings:     Modern  Architecture. 

Frederico  Alonso  Pezet:  Latin  and  Anglo-Saxon  Races 
in  America.  Lecture  on  the  Goldwin  Smith  Foun- 
dation. 

L.  Ward  Bannister:  Western  Water  Rights  and  Irri- 
gation Law. 

Moritz  J.  Bonn:  Course  in  International  Economics; 
Course  in  Economic  Organization  and  Social  Legis- 
lation in  Germany.  Lectures  on  the  Jacob  H.  Schiff 
Foundation. 

Charles  Z.  Klauder:  Planning  of  the  College  Dormi- 
tory Group. 

Dr.  J.  Estlin  Carpenter:  Christianity  at  the  Parting 
of  the  Ways. 


200  Concerning  Cornell 

James  Brown  Scott:  The  International  Court  of  Jus- 
tice.    Lecture  on  the  Goldwin  Smith  Foundation. 

Theodore  Burton:     1915  and  After. 

A.  Kingsley  Porter:  The  Esthetic  Appeal  of  Mediaeval 
Architecture. 

Lyman  P.  Powell:  The  By-Product  of  the  Modern 
College. 

Sumner  Robinson:  The  Province  of  Interior  Decora- 
tion; Interior  Decoration  and  the  Human  Tempera- 
ment. 

Moritz  J.  Bonn:     The  Jew  in  German  Business  Life. 

Major  General  Leonard  Wood:  Military  Education 
in  School  and  College. 

Charles  Wellington  Furlong:  Venezuela,  the  land  of 
the  Orinoco. 

Benjamin  S.  Hubbell:     Designing  a  Museum. 

Jacob  H.  Schiff:     Business. 

William  H.  Taft:  Our  World  Relationships  and  Pre- 
paredness; The  Supreme  Court  and  Popular  Self- 
Go  vernment;  The  League  to  Enforce  Peace;  The 
Limits  of  Jurisdiction  of  the  Three  Branches  of  the 
Federal  Government;  The  Presidency.  Lectures  on 
the  Goldwin  Smith  Foundation. 

John  L.  Elliott:  The  Citizen  and  Community  Organi- 
zation; What  some  great  Americans  have  thought  of 
Religion. 

T.  A.  Daly:  The  Laughing  Muse — A  Talk  on  Current 
Verse  in  Dialect  and  Otherwise. 

Rowland  Haynes:  The  Citizen  and  the  Recreation 
Needs  of  the  Community. 

John  Martin:     The  Citizen  and  the  Schools. 

Victor  Horta:  The  Nationality  of  Belgium  and  Its 
Influence  Upon  Her  Architecture;  Mediaeval  Archi- 
tecture in  Belgium;  The  Evolution  of  Renaissance 
and  classic  Architecture  in  Belgium  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Century. 

Eugene  T.  Lies:     The  Citizen  and  Poverty. 

John  A.  Fitch:     The  Citizen  and  Industry. 

P.  van  den  Ven:     The  University  of  Lou  vain. 

Mrs.  Kennedy  Fraser:     Songs  of  the  Hebrides. 

Selskar  M.  Gunn:     The  Citizen  and  Public  Health. 

Anatole  Le  Braz:     Le  Genie  de  la  France. 

Katherine  Bement  Davis:     The  Citizen  and  Crime. 

Elmer  S.  Forbes:  The  Citizen  and  the  Homes  of  the 
Community. 

R.  Clipston  Sturgis:     Architecture  as  a  Universal  Art. 

Miss  Frances  A.  Kellor:     The  Citizen  and  Immigration. 


Of  Historical  Interest  201 

A.  L.  Brockway:     The  Architect  and  Citizenship;  City 

Planning  and  the  Architect. 
Robert    Studebaker    Binkerd:     The    Citizen    and    the 

Physical  Development  of  His  Community. 
Charles  A.  Beard:     The  Citizen  and  Public  Service. 
Rev.  F.  M.  Crouch:     The  Church  and  Citizenship. 
Dr.  Henry  M.  Payne:     Across  Siberia. 
G.  Sarton:     Introduction  to  the  History  of  Science. 
Dr.    Thomas    J.    Headlee:     A    Successful    Campaign 

against  the  New  Jersey  Mosquito. 
Edward  A.  Moree:     The  Citizen  and  the  Press. 
Hon.  Charles  S.  Whitman:     Citizenship. 
Alexander  Meiklejohn:     The  Liberal  College. 

Curiously  enough,  the  only  one  of  the  regular 
courses  of  study  that  gave  the  first  administration 
difficulty  in  establishing  firmly  was  the  course  in 
agriculture,  the  course,  after  mechanical  arts,  per- 
haps nearest  the  heart  of  the  founder;  those  two 
being  also  the  particular  kinds  of  education  that 
the  author  of  the  Land  Grant  bill,  Justin  S.  Mor- 
rill, especially  wished  to  promote;  and  by  the  pro- 
visions of  that  bill  the  initial  impulse  was  given 
for  the  founding  of  Cornell  University. 

As  President  White  says,  from  1868  to  1873  in 
agriculture  they  seemed  to  be  playing  "Hamlet" 
with  Hamlet  left  out.  The  question  was  should 
practical  farming  be  conducted  as  a  business  opera- 
tion, to  teach  students  to  get  profits  from  the  land; 
or  as  a  model  farm,  regardless  of  balance  sheets, 
having  in  mind  only  methods;  or  on  a  wholly  ex- 
perimental basis.  Several  professors  of  agriculture 
tried  their  skill  in  solving  this  problem  between 
the  years  mentioned.  Finally  there  appeared  an 
elegant  young  candidate,  from  an  agricultural 
school  in  Scotland,  who  was  engaged  with  many 


202  Concerning  Cornell 

misgivings.  The  New  York  farmer  who  acted  as 
farm  manager  had  high  hopes  of  the  new  professor, 
but  these  soon  waned  when  he  saw  him  day  by  day 
going  over  the  farm  with  gloved  hands  and  never 
touching  an  implement.  Finally  the  farm  manager 
came  to  warn  the  president  saying,  "Yew  kin  de- 
pend on  it,  he  ain't  a  goin'  to  do  nothin' ;  he  don't 
know  nothin'  about  corn,  and  he  don't  want  to 
know  nothin'  about  corn;  and  he  don't  believe  in 
punkins!"  He  did  build  a  barn  of  somewhat 
striking  architecture  that  long  remained  a  feature 
of  the  landscape.  Then  he  departed  to  become 
head  of  an  agricultural  college  in  Canada,  a  posi- 
tion he  soon  lost.  Meanwhile  three  men,  the  Hon. 
John  Stanton  Gould,  who  lectured  on  practical 
agriculture  in  a  way  to  make  men  want  to  get  a 
spade  in  hand,  Professor  George  C.  Caldwell  in 
agricultural  chemistry,  perhaps  to  be  regarded  as 
the  American  founder  of  that  branch  of  the  science, 
and  Dr.  James  Law,  veterinarian,  a  most  thorough 
and  efficient  man  in  his  line  and  a  strong  man  in  the 
university  councils,  saved  the  day  for  agriculture 
until  Professor  I.  P.  Roberts  was  called  in  1873. 
Under  his  leadership  and  later  under  that  of  L.  H. 
Bailey,  all  faltering  disappeared  and  the  course  in 
agriculture  came  into  its  own. 

The  "Department  of  Mechanic  Arts,"  since 
long  known  officially  as  "Sibley  College  of  Mechan- 
ical Engineering  and  the  Mechanic  Arts,"  but  now, 
in  1920,  combined  with  the  College  of  Civil  Engi- 
neering under  a  single  administration,  narrowly 
escaped  becoming  involved  in  a  hobby  of  Ezra 


Livingston    Farband 


Of  Historical  Interest  203 

Cornell's  that  would  probably  have  been  a  great 
mistake  in  connection  with  the  engineering  course. 
His  project  was  to  establish  great  factories,  in 
which  the  students  were  to  do  the  work;  produc- 
ing, for  example,  shoes  and  chairs  for  the  trade. 
Such  enterprises  are  now,  however,  engaged  in  on 
a  large  scale  by  various  departments  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Agriculture.  He  was  finally  dissuaded  from 
the  idea  by  many  arguments,  but  it  must  have  ap- 
pealed to  him  greatly.  But  it  was  evident  that 
merely  theoretical  training  would  not  suffice  to 
produce  graduates  who  could  take  their  places 
immediately  in  the  practical  world  of  engineering. 
Accordingly  a  mechanical  laboratory  was  es- 
tablished, including  machine  shops,  wood  shops, 
foundry  and  forge,  and  students  put  to  work,  as  a 
part  of  their  regular  course,  in  producing,  not 
samples  of  highly  ornamental  work,  but  such 
things  as  steam-engines,  power-lathes  and  tools  of 
precision  of  the  best  design.  These  attracted  much 
attenlion  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1876,  except  from  the  New  England 
authorities  of  that  time.  These  authorities  were 
especially  loud  in  their  praises  of  the  kind  of  work 
sent  by  the  Moscow  School  of  Technology,  Russia, 
but  afterwards  the  head  of  this  school  confessed 
that  its  men  and  its  machinery  had  failed  utterly 
in  supplying  what  was  needed  in  their  own  country 
for  the  building  of  the  Trans-Siberian  railway,  and 
that  American  men  trained  by  Cornell  methods 
and  their  machinery  and  locomotives  had  supplied 
the  demand.    Shop  practice  of  similar  kind  on  the 


204  Concerning  Cornell 

most  modern  types  of  machines  continues  as  a 
regular  part  of  the  Sibley  curriculum  but  mer- 
chantable articles  are  not  now  produced  as  a 
matter  of  course  work. 

Sibley  College  owes  its  name  and  most  of  its 
material  resources  to  Hiram  Sibley  and  his  son, 
Hiram  W.  Sibley.  At  the  time  when  the  Rochester 
paper  made  its  attack  on  Mr.  Cornell,  Hiram 
Sibley,  a  resident  of  that  city  wrote:  "I  am  not 
skilled  in  newspaper  controversy,  so  I  will  simply 
add  to  what  I  have  already  given  to  the  university 
a  special  gift  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  which  will 
testify  to  my  townsmen  here  my  confidence  in  Mr. 
Cornell.' '  In  all  he  gave  over  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  thousand  dollars.  The  two  original  stone 
buildings,  facing  the  quadrangle,  were  joined  in 
1902  by  the  Sibley  Dome;  and  in  1911  Rand  Hall 
provided  a  machine  and  wood  shop  conforming  in 
every  detail  of  construction  and  equipment  with 
modern  factory  design.  The  electrical  engineering 
department,  connected  with  Sibley  college  in  ad- 
ministration, was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  country 
and  perhaps  in  the  world.  It  owed  its  inception  in 
part  to  the  fact  that  a  dynamo  built  in  the  machine 
shops  made  the  Cornell  campus  one  of  the  first 
electrically  lighted  areas  in  the  United  States. 
That  Cornell  should  have  been  in  the  forefront  in 
the  development  of  electrical  engineering  is  espe- 
cially appropriate  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was 
through  the  electric  telegraph  that  Ezra  Cornell 
amassed  his  fortune. 

The  history  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 


Of  Historical  Interest  205 

is  mainly  one  of  changes  in  the  nature  of  the  courses 
offered  for  various  degrees,  changes  in  the  require- 
ments for  entrance,  addition  and  expansion  in 
departments  and  courses.  Its  "Optional  Course" 
of  early  days  was  unique  in  that  any  student  regis- 
tered in  it  might  freely  choose  all  his  work  for  him- 
self, subject  only  to  the  conditions  of  taking  such 
subjects  as  he  was  fitted  to  pursue  and  attending 
three  exercises  daily.  This  last  provision,  no  doubt, 
is  the  genesis  of  the  customary  "fifteen  hours"  of 
work  carried  by  ordinary  students,  inasmuch  as 
classes  were  not  originally  scheduled  to  meet  on 
Saturday. 

The  complicated  story  of  these  changes  has 
been  most  concisely  and  effectively  told  by  Pro- 
fessor T.  F.  Crane,  in  his  speech  on  "The  Liberal 
Arts  at  Cornell' '  at  the  dedication  of  Gold  win 
Smith  Hall,  published  by  the  university  in  a  pam- 
phlet entitled  "Proceedings  at  the  Dedication  of 
Gold  win  Smith  Hall. "  With  the  exception  of  Pres- 
ident White,  no 
more  competent 
person  could  have 
been  chosen  for  VI 
this  task,  for  Pro- 
fessor Crane  has 
been  identified 
with  the  active 
work  of  the  col- 
lege from  its  very 
start,  was  its  first 
dean,   acting   in  qoldwin  smith  hall 


206  Concerning  Cornell 

that  capacity  from  1896  to  1902,  was  dean  of  the 
university  faculty  in  1901  and  acting  president  of 
the  university  for  the  year  1899-1900  and  again  in 
1912-1913. 

Of  the  original  faculty  of  the  university  only 
Professor  Crane  remains  a  campus  figure  to  link 
old  and  new.  One  of  the  most  affecting  scenes  ever 
witnessed  by  the  writer  was  the  presentation  of  a 
pair  of  candlesticks  to  Professor  Crane  in  the  libra- 
ry of  President  White's  house  on  the  occasion  of 
Professor  Crane's  retirement  from  active  service,  in 
1909.  From  almost  the  opening  of  the  university 
Mr.  Crane  and  Mr.  White  had  been  associated; 
and  at  this  time  it  must  have  seemed  to  them  that 
one  of  the  last  firm  strands  connecting  their  active 
energies  with  the  conduct  of  the  university  they 
had  helped  found  and  built  up,  was  being  severed. 

Because  of  these  associations  and  his  affability, 
Professor  Crane  is  one  of  the  few  men  in  the  faculty 
that  all  the  student  body  of  many  generations  have 
known  by  an  affectionate  nickname,  "Teefy." 

"Remember  me  to  *  Teefy*  Crane" 
runs  a  line  in  one  of  the  old  Cornell  songs.  In 
connection  with  this  Professor  Crane  tells  an 
amusing  story  on  himself.  Recently  he  visited  the 
University  of  Minnesota  and  a  former  colleague 
now  at  that  institution,  whose  guest  he  was,  in- 
formed him  that  the  Minnesota  students,  too,  sang 
that  song,  but  with  no  knowledge  of  its  allusions, 
and  that  before  his,  the  colleague's,  arrival  they 
had  been  of  the  opinion  that  "Teefy"  must  be 
some  "barkeep"  at  Ithaca! 


Of  Historical  Interest  207 

Until  the  completion  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall  of 
Humanities,  in  1906,  the  Arts  College  had  no  real 
home.  Its  departments  were  scattered  in  various 
buildings  and  the  freshman  student  in  its  courses 
was  often  considerably  puzzled  for  the  first  few 
weeks  as  to  just  which  building  and  which  door  he 
needed  to  find  for  his  next  class.    Some  of  the  de- 


COLUMN3   OF   GOLDWIN   SMITH    HALL   ENTRANCE 

partments,  it  is  true,  were  provided  for  in  buildings 
devoted  only  to  their  needs,  particularly  the 
sciences,  but  the  languages,  history,  political 
science  and  philosophy  were  without  an  established 
domain.  If  they  were  the  last  to  come  into  their 
own,  their  faculties  have  at  least  the  satisfaction 
of  now  occupying  the  most  imposing  building  on 
the  campus.  This  the  trustees  furnished,  but 
Goldwin  Smith  himself  established  the  subjects  it 
houses  on  an  enduring  basis  by  willing  (he  died 
June  7, 1910)  almost  his  entire  fortune  of  more  that 
seven  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  be  used  for 


2 OS  Concerning  Cornell 

the  promotion  especially  of  the  liberal   studies. 

The  College  of  Civil  Engineering,  1868,  the 
College  of  Architecture,  1871,  the  College  of  Law, 
1887,  the  New  York  State  Veterinary  College, 
1894,  and  the  Cornell  University  Medical  College, 
1898,  in  general  have  developed  steadily  from  their 
first  inception.  The  New  York  State  College  of 
Forestry  established  in  1898  by  the  legislature  of 
the  state,  continued  only  until  1903,  when  its  facul- 
ty was  dismissed  because  the  legislature  refused  to 
maintain  it  longer  owing  to  differences  in  opinion 
between  the  college  and  state  officials  in  regard  to 
the  proper  conservation  of  forest  lands  in  the  Adi- 
rondacks  that  had  been  allotted  to  the  college  as 
a  demonstration  area.  Instruction  in  forestry  is 
now  provided  by  a  very  efficient  department  of  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  College  at  Cornell 
University. 

The  New  York  State  Veterinary  College  de- 
serves more  extended  mention  for  two  reasons :  the 
first  that  it  has  been  distinguished  by  the  services 
of  Professor  James  Law,  the  second  that  it  was 
the  first  of  the  colleges  at  Cornell  University  to  be 
established  and  supported  directly  from  state  funds. 

When  President  White  returned  from  his  trip 
to  Europe  in  the  interests  of  the  university,  in 
1868,  the  wits  said  that  he  had  "brought  back  with 
him  an  Oxford  professor  and  a  Scotch  horse-doc- 
tor.' '  The  horse-doctor  was  James  Law,  and  he 
soon  made  himself  a  force  both  in  the  university 
councils  and  among  the  farmers  of  the  state.  The 
great  annual  loss  of  farm  animals  from  various 


Of  Historical  Interest  209 

diseases  had  up  to  his  time  been  taken  as  a  matter 
of  course  by  the  agricultural  community  in  the 
United  States  but  Dr.  Law  soon  brought  about  a 
change  from  such  a  view.  The  entrance  require- 
ments to  the  course  were  rigid  from  the  start  and 
as  a  result  its  graduates  very  shortly  occupied 
important  positions  and  accomplished  great  things 
in  veterinary  science.  Dr.  Law's  own  services  to 
the  state  and  nation  may  well  be  said  to  be  in- 
valuable. As  President  White  put  it:  "It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  he  has,  during  his  career  at 
Cornell  University,  prevented  the  loss  of  hundreds 
of  millions  of  dollars  from  the  cattle  plague. " 

That  New  York  State  has  recognized  in  a  sub- 
stantial way  these  services,  and  others  of  similar 
nature  rendered  by  the  agricultural  teaching  at 
Cornell  University,  is  due  entirely  to  the  initiative 
of  President  Schurman.  At  the  very  outset  of  his 
administration,  in  his  inaugural  address,  he  urged 
that  the  state  should  aid  Cornell  University,  espe- 
cially its  departments  of  agricultural  and  veterinary 
science,  subjects  that  touch  most  nearly  the  state's 
interests;  that  the  state  should  do  this  not  only  for 
selfish  reasons,  but  also  because  Cornell  had  for 
years  provided  university  instruction  free  to  great 
numbers  of  its  sons  and  daughters  and  received 
nothing  in  return,  and  that  other  states  had  been 
very  generous  to  their  state  universities.  As  a 
result  of  this  speech,  delivered  in  November,  1892, 
the  legislature  early  in  1893  voted  fifty  thousand 
dollars  for  a  building  and  equipment  for  instruction 
in  dairy  husbandry.    This  building  was  erected  in 


210  Concerning  Cornell 

the  same  year  and  now  constitutes  the  north  end 
of  Gold  win  Smith  Hall.  (Though  this  would  seem 
to  indicate  a  very  material  linking  of  the  most 
primitive  of  stages  in  human  culture  with  its  great- 
est refinements,  it  should  be  said  here  that  dairy 
husbandry  was  removed  to  other  quarters  before 
the  philosophers  moved  in.)  In  the  following  year 
a  similar  appropriation  was  made  for  a  veterinary 
building,  and,  in  1895,  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars more.  This  property,  however,  belongs  to  the 
state,  and  its  provision  marks  the  establishment  of 
the  New  York  State  Veterinary  College,  since  sup- 
ported by  the  state,  as  is  now  also  the  College  of 
Agriculture.  In  1913  large  additions  to  the  Veter- 
inary College  buildings  in  the  shape  of  hospital 
quarters  were  completed  and  occupied. 

The  Cornell  University  Medical  College  ac- 
quires distinction  from  the  fact  that  unlike  the  rest 
of  the  colleges  of  the  university  its  main  work  is  not 
carried  on  at  Ithaca,  but  in  New  York  City.  It 
has  a  building  on  the  campus,  Stimson  Hall,  com- 
pleted in  1901,  the  gift  of  Dean  Sage,  but  only  the 
first  year's  work  in  medicine  may  be  done  in  Ithaca. 
The  requirement  of  a  college  degree  in  Arts  or 
Sciences  for  entrance  to  the  medical  course  is  an- 
other factor  that  makes  its  position  in  the  scheme 
of  instruction  different  from  that  of  the  other 
colleges.  Except  for  the  provision  that  a  student 
who  has  done  three  years'  work  for  the  bachelor's 
degree  (including  certain  subjects)  may  substitute 
the  first  year's  work  in  medicine  for  the  senior  year 
of  Arts,  and  thus  secure  an  M.  D.  degree  after 


Of  Historical  Interest  211 

seven  successful  years  of  study,  the  Cornell  medi- 
cal college  would  be  a  strictly  graduate  institution. 
This  requirement  was  put  in  force  in  1908,  pre- 
viously to  that  a  student  might  enter  the  medical 
college  with  only  secondary  school  training. 

Formerly,  also,  two  years  of  the  medical  course 
were  offered  at  Ithaca  but  the  second  year  has  been 
su  pended  because  of  the  heavy  expense  involved 
in  its  maintenance.  This  is  regrettable,  for  while 
it  is  absolutely  essential  that  the  two  last  years  of 
a  medical  course  be  pursued  in  a  large  city,  where 
hospital  facilities  are  available  that  a  small  town 
does  not  afford;  on  the  other  hand  both  the  uni- 
versity and  the  student  would  gain  from  having 
second  year  medical  students  come  into  the  home 
environment  of  Cornell. 

In  New  York  City  the  full  four  years'  course  is 
provided.  The  main  college  building,  completed  in 
1901,  occupies  an  entire  block  on  First  Avenue  be- 
tween Twenty-seventh  and  Twenty-eighth  streets 
and  cost  nearly  a  million  dollars  to  erect.  It  is 
directly  opposite  Bellevue  hospital,  and  one  of  the 
four  divisions  of  this  institution,  which  receives 
some  twenty-four  thousand  patients  annually,  is 
intrusted  to  the  Cornell  medical  faculty  for  medical 
instruction.  Similar  facilities  are  afforded  in  New 
York  hospital  for  surgical  cases. 

In  addition  to  the  main  college  building  the 
equipment  includes  also  the  Loomis  Laboratory, 
a  five-story  building,  devoted  almost  entirely  to 
research  work.  Both  these  buildings  were  given, 
and  the  whole  college  maintained  from  year  to 


212  Concerning  Cornell 

year,  until  1913,  by  Col.  Oliver  H.  Payne,  when  the 
same  generous  benefactor  transferred  to  the  uni- 
versity for  the  future  endowment  of  the  New  York 
City  division  of  the  medical  college  over  four  mil- 
lion dollars,  the  largest  single  gift  ever  made  to  a 
medical  college  in  the  United  States.  This  munif- 
icence of  endowment  then,  happily  for  it,  also  sets 
apart  this  division  of  Cornell  University  from  its 
sister  colleges,  no  one  other  of  which  is  so  amply 
provided  for  on  a  permanent  basis. 

When  President  White  took  office  in  1868  he 
had  associated  with  him  in  the  faculty  seventeen 
professors,  three  assistant  professors  and  five  non- 
resident professors.  When  he  resigned  the  presi- 
dency in  1885  there  were  fif- 
ty-six teachers  of  all  grades. 
During  the  incumbency  of 
President  Adams  from  1885 
to  1892  this  number  rose  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three.  During  the  twenty- 
eight  years  of  President 
Schurman's  administration, 
the  period  between  1892 
and  1920,  the  increase  con- 
tinued at  an  even  more  ra- 
pid rate  and  the  entire  in- 
structing staff  now  includes 
some  nine  hundred  per- 
sons. Of  these  about  three 
hundred  and  forty  have  the 
rank  of  professor  or  assist- 


UM0ORSXJX 


PKKSIDENT     WHITE    STATUE 


Of  Historical  Interest  213 

ant  professor.  It  is  not  possible  to  be  very  exact 
as  new  appointments  and  resignations  are  of  al- 
most daily  occurrence. 

Thus  the  count  of  the  professorial  members  of 
the  faculty  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  found- 
ing of  the  university  (1918)  approached  very 
closely  the  total  number  of  students  that  entered 
the  institution  in  the  opening  year.  But  the  stu- 
dent body  has  increased  in  like  proportion.  In 
1868  four  hundred  and  twelve  students  entered,  in 
1885  the  student  body  had  increased  to  six  hundred 
and  forty-nine  persons,  in  1892  there  were  seven- 
teen hundred  in  attendance  and  in  the  academic 
year  1915-16  the  total  of  regularly  registered  stu- 
dents was  five  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-six. 
Probably  the  ratio  of  professors  to  students  is 
about  the  same  now  as  it  was  at  the  beginning  of 
the  institution,  for  in  the  later  years  a  certain  pro- 
portion of  the  faculty  has  not  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  instruction  of  students  in  residence. 
In  June,  1916,  a  total  of  sixteen  thousand  and  forty- 
seven  first  degrees  had  been  granted  and  there 
were  twenty-seven  thousand  alumni,  including  all 
who  had  been  students  for  any  time. 

During  the  first  fifty  years  of  growth  there 
were  three  administrations,  those  of  Presidents 
White,  Adams  and  Schurman.  The  events  and 
development  of  President  White's  time  have  been 
referred  to  in  preceding  paragraphs.  On  his  re- 
tirement he  nominated  his  successor,  Charles  Ken- 
dall Adams  who  had  been  for  fifteen  years  a  pro- 
fessor of  history  at  Michigan  University,  where 


214  Concerning  Cornell 

President  White  had  come  to  know  him,  first  as  a 
pupil,  and  later  as  his  successor  in  the  chair  of 
history. 

For  several  reasons  President  Adams  seemed 
eminently  fitted  for  his  new  office  as  head  of  Cor- 
nell University.  Of  all  American  universities  at 
that  time  the  University  of  Michigan  was  nearest 
like  Cornell  in  its  ideals  and  organization,  and 
President  Adams  had  been  educated  there  and  as  a 
member  of  its  faculty  had  contributed  much  to  its 
development.  He  had  made  a  special  study  of  the 
subject  of  university  government  both  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  And  finally,  he  was  a  man 
of  great  industry  and  method,  an  organizer,  and  it 
was  felt  that  such  a  personality  was  needed  in  view 
of  the  promised  expansion  of  the  university  in  the 
near  future. 

These  expectations  President  Adams  more  than 
fulfilled.  During  his  time  the  first  rapid  growth 
in  material  resources  and  numbers  of  students  and 
faculty  took  place.  The  material  prosperity  of  the 
seven  years  of  his  administration  is  estimated  at 
three  million  dollars,  the  student  body  increased 
from  five  hundred  and  seventy-seven  to  fifteen 
hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  the  faculty  from 
fifty-six  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-three.  An 
interesting  fact  is  that  in  this  time  there  was  a 
five-fold  increase  in  the  number  of  classical  or  arts 
students.  This  extraordinary  expansion  may  be 
said  to  have  established  finally  the  fact  that  the 
liberal  and  the  practical  studies  can  exist  in  har- 
mony within  the  same  halls,  and  may  be  cited  to 


Of  Historical  Interest  215 

confute  the  dictum  of  so  celebrated  a  personage  as 
Matthew  Arnold  who  said:  "Cornell  University 
rests  upon  a  provincial  misconception  of  what 
culture  is,  and  is  calculated  to  produce  miners  or 
engineers  or  architects,  not  sweetness  and  light. " 
With  the  exception  of  the  final  decision  against 
the  university  of  the  McGraw-Fiske  will  case, 
already  mentioned,  President  Adams's  administra- 
tion was  not  marked  by  any  especially  dramatic 
incidents.  In  a  broad  way  the  changes  he  intro- 
duced were  simplification  of  courses,  a  large  scheme 
of  elective  studies  and  more  adequate  provision  for 
post-graduate  instruction.  Agassiz  had  said  that 
research  by  the  faculty  was  essential,  that  gradu- 
ate students  would  not  flock  to  Cornell  until  its 
professors  were  known  to  be  adding  to  the  sum  of 
knowledge.  That  this  end  had  been  attained  is 
indicated  by  the  increase  of  graduate  students  dur- 
ing the  seven  years,  from  thirty-three  to  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty;  and  that  it  continues  to  hold  true 
by  the  fact  that  in  1916  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  graduate  students  were  in  residence. 

Other  new  things  were  the  enactment  of  a  statute 
by  the  trustees  providing  for  a  "Sabbatical  year" 
for  professors,  the  granting  of  honorary  degrees, 
and  the  establishing  of  a  "University  Senate/ ' 
The  first  gave  a  year's  absence  on  half  pay  to  pro- 
fessors who  had  served  seven  years,  the  second  was 
a  short  lived  departure  from  the  traditional  policy 
of  the  university  to  grant  no  honorary  degrees 
whatsoever,  a  policy  that  has  very  recently  (1916) 
been  reaffirmed  by  the  trustees  and  faculty.    On 


216  Concerning  Cornell 

recommendation  of  President  Adams,  however, 
two  such  degrees  were  granted  in  1886,  and  Presi- 
dent White  and  David  Starr  Jordan,  '72,  later 
president  of  Leland  Stanford,  Junior,  University, 
have  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  persons  with 
Cornell  degrees  not  earned  in  residence.  The 
alumni,  while  recognizing  the  entire  worthiness  of 
the  persons  selected  for  the  honor  in  these  cases, 
were  averse  to  the  change,  and  on  their  petition, 
without  prejudice  to  the  degrees  already  granted, 
the  faculty  and  trustees  rescinded  their  earlier 
action  on  the  matter. 

The  university  senate,  also,  had  a  short,  and 
seemingly  tempestuous,  career.  Formed  in  1889- 
90  it  only  lasted  until  October,  1893,  when  it  was 
abolished  by  the  trustees.  This  body  consisted  of 
the  president  and  all  the  full  professors,  in  all 
thirty-five  persons.  Its  principal  function  was  to 
consider  nominations  of  professors  made  by  the 
president  and  vote  on  them  yea  and  nay,  and  trans- 
mit its  vote  with  reasons  to  the  trustees.  The 
chief  arguments  in  favor  of  such  an  arrangement 
are  first,  that  no  one  man,  the  president,  can  be 
sufficiently  conversant  with  the  multitudinous  spe- 
cialized fields  of  modern  science  and  learning  to 
select  the  most  promising  candidates  in  each  to 
fill  new  or  old  chairs,  nor  yet  can  the  trustees,  a 
body  of  men  whose  main  interests  are  usually  in 
business  affairs;  and  second,  that  the  special  faculty 
group  already  appointed  to  a  given  department 
should  have  a  voice  in  regard  to  changes  or  ad- 
ditions to  its  personnel.     But  this  method  of  meet- 


Of  Historical  Interest  217 

ing  the  need  for  such  faculty  counsel  apparently 
did  not  succeed  very  well,  for  its  practical  workings 
led  to  its  official  repudiation. 

That  the  faculty,  which  is  essentially  the  uni- 
versity, should  have  some  representation  in  its 
governing  board,  nevertheless  continued  as  an 
undercurrent  idea  in  the  management  of  the  insti- 
tution. It  was  not,  however,  to  come  to  the  sur- 
face again  until  President  Schurman  after  twenty 
years  service  as  chief  administrative  officer,  with, 
consequently,  well  matured  ideas  on  the  subject, 
in  1912  placed  before  the  trustees  a  definite  plan 
for  attaining  this  end.  His  proposal,  as  eventually 
adopted,  was  that  the  faculty  should  elect,  prefer- 
ably from  its  own  number,  not  more  than  three 
representatives  to  meet  with  the  trustees,  but 
without  vote,  and  with  terms  not  exceeding  three 
years  for  any  one  representative.  Also  that  from 
the  faculty  of  each  college  at  Ithaca  (except  the 
state  colleges)  there  should  be  elected  two  repre- 
sentatives, who,  with  the  dean  of  the  college, 
should  constitute  a  committee  to  confer  with  the 
several  committees  of  the  trustees  on  such  matters 
as  affect  the  welfare  of  the  particular  college.  Three 
years  later,  in  April,  1916,  after  it  had  been  dis- 
cussed fully  at  various  times,  both  by  the  faculty 
and  trustees,  this  plan  was  adopted.  By  its  dual 
provisions  it  gives  the  professoriate  representation 
both  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  institution  and  in 
the  interests  of  each  special  group. 

This  is  considered  a  "new,  radical  and  highly 
important  change  in  the  government  of  the  uni- 


218  Concerning  Cornell 

versity."  It  is  the  latest  of  the  " Cornell  Ideas" 
on  university  organization,  and,  like  its  predeces- 
sors, seems  likely  to  have  wide  adoption  by  other 
institutions;  already  two  have  taken  it  up  as  the 
practical  solution  of  an  acute  problem.  What  the 
ultimate  outcome  of  this  scheme  will  be  can  not 
now  be  said,  but  it  certainly  avoids  the  difficulties 
of  the  earlier  senate  plan  and  it  has  been  predicted 
that  it  will  develop  in  the  faculty  "a  keener 
sense  of  independence,  a  stronger  feeling  of  power 
and  authority,  a  readier  recognition  of  responsi- 
bility, and  a  heightened  appreciation  of  the  work 
and  calling  of  the  professor."  It  is  a  pleasure  to 
record  that  the  three  first  representatives  of  the 
faculty  were  Prof.  John  H.  Comstock  of  the  class 
of  1874  and  since  then  almost  continually  asso- 
ciated with  the  university,  always  a  forceful 
personality;  the  energetic  professor  of  machine 
design,  Dexter  S.  Kimball,  and  the  professor  of 
economics,  Walter  F.  Willcox,  calm  and  judicial  in 
temperament.  That  these  three  men  have  always 
had  the  best  interests  of  the  whole  university  at 
heart  there  is  no  doubt,  nor  can  the  trustees  have 
failed  to  profit  by  their  intimate  knowledge  of, 
and  sound  judgment  on,  its  intellectual  life. 

President  Adams  resigned  in  1892  because  of 
differences  in  opinion  in  regard  to  administrative 
matters  between  him  and  the  board  of  trustees. 
He  was  then  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin,  a  position  he  continued  to 
hold  until  the  time  of  his  death,  July  26,  1902. 

His  successor  was  Jacob  Gould  Schurman,  who 


Of  Historical  Interest  219 

came  to  the  university  in  1886  as  professor  of  phil- 
osophy, and  in  1892  was  unanimously  elected  presi- 
dent, and  resigned  in  1920,  having  served  almost 
continually  through  the  intervening  time  except 
for  absences  during  two  full  years,  when  his  place 
was  filled  by  Prof.  T.  F.  Crane. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  events  that 
have  occurred  in  President  Schurman's  adminis- 
tration, and  several  of  his  policies  are  the  topics 
of  preceding  paragraphs.  In  addition  to  the 
McGraw-Fiske  and  the  Morse  Hall  fires,  one  other 
calamity  befell  the  university  during  this  time, 
the  typhoid  fever  epidemic  of  1903,  which,  because 
of  the  loss  of  students'  lives  it  entailed,  was  the 
greatest  tragedy  the  institution  has  known.  The 
Ithaca  city  water  supply,  used  by  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  students,  became  contaminated  and  as 
a  result  some  two  hundred  and  ninety-one  students 
fell  ill  of  typhoid  fever  in  the  first  months  of  the 
year  1903.  Of  these  twenty-nine  died.  During 
February  and  March  one-third  of  the  entire  stu- 
dent body  departed  for  the  term.  That  the  fault 
was  entirely  in  the  city  water  supply  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  not  a  single  person  living  where  the 
private  water  supply  of  the  university  was  fur- 
nished (notably  the  women  in  Sage  College)  be- 
came sick.  Though  at  such  terrible  cost,  the 
epidemic  had  one  good  result,  it  led  to  emergency 
measures  for  immediately  safeguarding  both  the 
city  and  the  university  water.  Before  the  fall  term 
of  the  next  year  modern  filtration  plants  were  in- 
stalled in  each  system  and  extraordinary  care  has 


220  Concerning  Cornell 

been  exercised  in  continually  testing  the  water  they 
furnish,  so  that  the  supply  has  ever  since  been  of 
exceptionally  high  quality.  In  April,  1917,  the 
state  authorities  gave  Ithaca  the  second  highest 
rating  for  purity  of  water  supply  among  all  places 
in  the  state  with  a  population  of  five  thousand  or 
more  inhabitants.  It  should  also  be  noted  that 
the  late  Andrew  Carnegie,  then  a  trustee  of  the 
university,  paid  for  the  erection  of  the  university 
filtration  plant,  which  is  named  after  him,  and  also 
paid  the  bills  of  all  students  who  had  been  ill  and 
who  could  not  easily  afford  the  expense  this 
involved.  Mr.  Carnegie  afterwards  said  that  of 
all  the  money  he  had  expended  in  various  philan- 
thropies this  item  had  given  him  the  most  satis- 
faction. 

It  is  pleasing,  also,  to  be  able  to  follow  this  nar- 
ration with  the  statement  that  on  the  death  of  their 
father,  Henry  W.  Sage,  his  sons,  Dean  Sage  and 
William  Sage  gave  to  the  university  the  family 
mansion  on  State  Street,  Ithaca,  to  be  used  as  an 
infirmary  for  Cornell  students  and  further  endowed 
it  with  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  su- 
preme easement,  afforded  by  this  facility  during 
the  epidemic,  needs  hardly  be  indicated,  its  pres- 
ence and  use  undoubtedly  saved  many  lives.  In 
1912  its  accommodations  were  much  enlarged  and 
it  now  again  amply  serves  the  hospital  needs  of  the 
much  larger  student  body  of  today. 

To  the  Land  Grant  act  passed  by  Congress 
when  the  very  existence  of  the  nation  was  threat- 
ened by  civil  war,   Cornell  University  owes  its 


Of  Historical  Interest  221 

founding  in  great  part.  One  of  the  specific  pro- 
visions of  this  act  was  that  instruction,  in  the  in- 
stitutions that  were  to  benefit  by  it,  should  include 
military  tactics.  Once  again,  in  a  time  of  world 
stress,  the  country  has  been  involved  in  armed  con- 
flict; and  it  is  a  patriotic  pleasure,  as  well  as  a 
matter  of  pride  in  being  a  Cornellian,  to  record 
that  the  university  has  fulfilled  this  obligation  not 
only  in  the  letter  but  also  in  the  spirit,  and  that, 
at  times,  with  a  considerable  handicap  to  its  de- 
velopment along  other  lines.  For  several  years  in 
succession  now  the  War  Department  has  included 
Cornell  University  in  the  list  of  "ten  distinguished 
colleges' '  selected  for  excellence  in  military  training 
from  all  those  throughout  the  United  States  at 
which  officers  of  the  regular  army  are  stationed. 
The  inspecting  officer  in  1916  reported  that  at 
Cornell  University  the  military  spirit  is  developed 
and  nurtured  "to  an  extent  not  otherwise  to  be 
found  in  colleges  of  this  size"  and  that  the  instruc- 
tion is  "of  such  extent  and  thoroughness  as  to 
qualify  the  average  graduate  for  a  commission  as 
lieutenant  of  volunteers. "  Thus  it  was  that  in  the 
momentous  spring  of  1917  when  other  institutions 
were  making  a  great  newspaper  to-do  over  their 
hundreds  of  students  organizing  in  squads  for  shirt- 
sleeve calisthenics  and  broomstick  drill,  Cornell 
had  a  corps  of  two  thousand  men,  uniformed  and 
equipped  with  the  latest  model  of  arms,  and  trained 
in  all  the  modern  arts  of  warfare  including  en- 
trenchment, as  it  had  developed  on  the  battle-fields 
of  Europe,  and  as  taught  them  by  soldiers  return- 


222  Concerning  Cornell 

ing  from  that  front.    No  need  for  Cornell  to  stand 
ashamed  when  the  nation  called  to  arms! 

Many  of  the  other  new  buildings  acquired  or 
erected  during  President  Schurman's  administra- 
tion have  been  referred  to  in  previous  connections. 
In  chronological  order  the  more  important  ones 
are:  The  Infirmary,  1897;  Stimson  Hall,  1901,  the 
gift  of  Dean  Sage;  the  Medical  College,  New  York 
City,  1901;  Sibley  Dome,  1902,  the  gift  of  Hiram 
W.  Sibley ;  the  Hydraulic  Laboratory  in  Fall  Creek 
Gorge,  1902;  the  Carnegie  Filtration  Plant,  1903; 
Goldwin  Smith  Hall,  1904;  Rockefeller  Hall,  1904, 
the  gift  of  John  D.  Rockefeller;  the  Loomis  Labora- 
tory, New  York  City,  1906;  Roberts  Hall,  1906; 
Rand  Hall,  1912,  the  gift  of  Florence  Osgood  Rand 
Lang;  Bailey  Hall  Auditorium,  the  Poultry  Hus- 
bandry and  the  Home  Economics  buildings,  1912; 
Prudence  Risley  Hall  Dormitory,  1913,  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  Russell  Sage;  the  Animal  Husbandry  and 
Forestry  buildings  and  Caldwell  Hall  in  1913. 
During  the  years  1914  and  1915  there  were  erect- 
ed also  the  new  residential  halls  for  men,  Baker 
Court,  North  and  South  Baker  Halls  and  Founders' 
Hall,  chiefly  from  gifts  by  Geo.  F.  Baker,  assisted 
by  alumni  contributions.  In  recent  years  the  alum- 
ni have  also  contributed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  for  the  construction  of  the  Alumni 
Field  and  the  University  Playground.  Individual 
alumni  and  their  families  have  provided  during  the 
same  time  the  Schoellkopf  Memorial  athletic  build- 
ing, the  Football  Stadium  and  the  Bacon  Hall  for 
baseball  practice.  During  1917  the  new  Drill  Hall,  a 


Of  Historical  Interest  223 

truly  vast  structure,  furnished  by  the  state  was 
completed,  and  the  new  Astronomical  Observatory 
located  on  the  north  side  of  Beebe  Lake  was  under 
construction.  The  university  lands  include  nearly 
one  thousand  four  hundred  acres,  a  vast  estate  in 
comparison  with  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
owned  in  1902.  Up  to  that  time  there  had  been 
an  addition  of  only  sixty  acres  to  Ezra  Cornell's 
original  gift  of  two  hundred  acres. 

This  list  reads  like  portions  of  the  Book  of 
Numbers  and  will  accordingly  be  passed  over  very 
light-heartedly,  but  the  very  space  it  occupies  will 
serve  to  impress  the  extraordinary  material  expan- 
sion the  university  has  experienced  in  the  past  few 
years.  A  large  part  of  this  is  due  to  the  establish- 
ment in  1904  of  the  New  York  State  College  of 
Agriculture  at  Cornell  University,  a  further  result 
of  President  Schurman's  policy  of  calling  on  the 
state  to  do  its  share  in  the  higher  education  of  its 
sons  and  daughters.  Under  the  inspiring  leader- 
ship of  Liberty  Hyde  Bailey,  its  director  for  the  ten 
years,  1903-13,  the  College  of  Agriculture  grew  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  so  that  in  addition  to  the  increase 
in  buildings  that  has  led  to  the  creation  of  the  "new 
quadrangle,"  there  was  also  an  increase  in  numbers 
of  students  registered  in  the  course,  from  one  hun- 
dredandforty-twototwelvehundredandsixty-three. 

President  Schurman,  after  his  resignation  in 
June,  1920,  became  United  States  minister  to  China. 
During  the  following  year  and  a  half  the  presi- 
dential chair  was  occupied  by  Albert  W.  Smith,  '78. 
The  administration  of  President  Smith  had  a  sym- 


224  Concerning  Cornell 

pathetic  human  quality  best  indicated  by  relating 
that  he  was  affectionately  known  to  the  under- 
graduates as  "Uncle  Pete. " 

Meanwhile  a  committee  from  the  trustees  and 
faculty  was  engaged  in  a  patient  search  for  a  new 
president  who  should  be  first  a  scholar  and  should 
have  also  superior  administrative  ability,  personal 
magnetism  and  a  wide  knowledge  of  men  and 
affairs;  a  combination  of  qualities  possessed,  each 
in  a  marked  degree,  by  only  few  men  in  any  gener- 
ation. Eventually  this  committee  nominated  Dr. 
Livingston  Farrand  who  was  elected  and  became 
the  fourth  duly  inaugurated  president  of  Cornell 
University  on  October  20,  1921. 

Livingston  Farrand  was  born  in  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  June  14,  1867,  was  graduated  from  Prince- 
ton with  the  class  of  '88  and  has  an  M.  D.  degree 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  be- 
stowed in  1891.  From  1903  to  1914  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  anthropology  at  Columbia  University.  In 
1914  he  became  president  of  the  University  of 
Colorado.  During  the  war  he  directed  the  cam- 
paign against  tuberculosis  in  France  and  later  was 
made  chairman  of  the  central  committee  of  the 
American  Red  Cross.  He  had  resigned  the  presi- 
dency of  the  University  of  Colorado  and  was  living 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  when  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Cornell.  The  record  shows  that  the 
nominating  committee  solved  its  problem  most 
excellently — the  performance  of  the  man  since 
entrance  into  office  proves  that  a  happier  choice 
could  only  have  been  an  infinitely  remote  possibility. 


Troy 


Statue  of  the  Founder 


Unveiled  Sunday,  June  22,  1919,  Semi-Centennial  Celebration 
Fiftieth  Commencement  Week 


Of  Historical  Interest  225 

Provided  thus  with  an  able  leader  the  great  need 
of  Cornell  now  is  for  a  much  larger  endowment. 
The  most  pressing  demand  is  the  necessity  for  larg- 
er salaries  for  the  faculty,  which  in  any  analysis  is 
really  the  university.  The  average  salaries  of  the 
professorial  rank  at  Cornell  are  today  lower  in 
buying  power  than  they  were  a  score  of  years 
ago.  But  it  is  idle  to  specify;  what  the  university 
should  have  is,  bluntly,  an  endowment  two  times 
or  three  times  that  which  it  now  holds,  the  income 
from  which  should  all  be  free  for  use  where  most 
needed.  Five  millions  of  such  a  fund  has  already 
been  secured  in  the  Semi-Centennial  Endowment 
campaign  in  contributions  by  Cornell  alumni  and 
alumnae  and  undergraduates.  But  many  more 
millions  are  needed.  In  the  early  days  of  the  insti- 
tution, when  great  wealth  was  much  more  uncom- 
mon than  now,  men  gave  freely  without  attaching 
strings  to  their  donations.  They  did  not  require 
that  buildings  be  put  up  as  monuments  to  them, 
that  others  should  match  their  contributions  and 
the  like.  Why  not  similarly  now,  when  there  are 
hundreds  who  possess  millions.  If  some  guarantee 
is  needed  that  the  institution  is  worthy,  what  bet- 
ter one  can  be  found  than  that  its  own  alumni  have 
given  so  liberally.  And  surely  it  is  more  gratify- 
ing to  give  one's  self  than  to  have  the  same  sums 
wrested  from  one  by  income  and  inheritance  taxes. 
Hence  Cornell  calls:  Step  forward  gentlemen,  the 
university  needs  your  most  liberal  support  and 
will  in  the  future  as  in  the  past  prove  most  worthy 
of  your  trust! 


CHAPTER  IV 

STUDENT  LIFE 

THE  student  body  at  Cornell  includes  repre- 
sentatives from  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
During  the  academic  year  just  preceding  the  Great 
War  there  were  registered  as  undergraduates  over 
one  hundred  and  eighty  foreigners.  Canada  sent 
fifteen,  the  same  number  came  from  Mexico  and 
the  Central  American  Republics.  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico  together  contributed  thirty-four,  Hawaii  and 
the  Philippines  furnished  twenty-three.  Twenty- 
seven  students  came  from  four  South  American 
countries.  There  were  twenty  representatives  from 
eight  European  nations.  China  sent  forty-four 
students,  Japan  six,  other  Asiatic  countries  five 
more.  One  man  came  from  Egypt,  four  journeyed 
from  South  Africa.  If  graduate  students  were  in- 
cluded, a  still  greater  diversity  and  considerably 
larger  total  would  be  manifest.  Student  life  at 
Cornell  had  a  distinctly  cosmopolitan  aspect  and 
has,  since  the  war,  regained  much  of  this  diversi- 
ty. When  it  is  added  that  nearly  every  state  in 
the  Union  sends  some  of  its  sons,  it  will  be  quite 
clear  that  student  existence  must  make  quite  dif- 
ferent impress  according  to  the  particular  mind  on 
which  its  different  phases  are  recorded.  What  the 
New  Yorker  takes  for  granted  may  seem  very  nov- 
el to  the  man  from  Arizona  or  the  Asiatic  native. 
Despite  such  obvious  differences  in  the  point  of 


Student  Life  227 

view,  it  is  quite  possible  to  give  some  aecount  of  the 
routine  and  incidents  of  the  average  undergraduate 
existence,  enough  at  any  rate  to  suggest  its  variety 
of  interest.  One  reason  for  this  variety  is  that 
Cornell  is  an  entity;  she  is  unique  among  the  great- 
er eastern  universities  in  that  she  is  not  merely  an 
adjunct  to  some  large  city  as  Harvard  is  to  Boston, 
Yale  to  New  Haven,  Columbia  and  Princeton  to 
Xew  York,  and  Pennsylvania  to  Philadelphia.  Set 
off  by  herself  among  romantic  hills,  she  has  devel- 
oped her  own  life  uninfluenced  by  the  sordid  lures 
of  a  city  environment. 

Picture  the  arrival  of  an  unacquainted  fresh- 
man at  Cornell.  As  he  steps  off  the  train  he  is  met 
by  student  room-agents  who  offer  to  locate  him 
comfortably.  He  has  received  from  the  university 
authorities  a  list  of  accredited  rooming  houses  and 
has  some  idea  where  he  wishes  to  live  and  how 
much  he  will  pay.  He  may  have  previously  en- 
gaged a  room  in  one  of  the  university's  new  residen- 
tial halls.  If  so,  he  needs  only  to  be  directed  to  his 
quarters.  If  not,  he  inspects  a  number  of  rooms, 
finds  one  that  suits  his  fancy,  and  arranges  to  lease 
it  for  the  term,  signing  a  contract  to  that  effect. 
Formerly  it  was  the  unwritten  law  that  engaging 
a  room  at  the  opening  of  the  university  bound  the 
student  to  keep  it  for  the  year,  though  no  formal 
agreement  of  any  kind  had  been  entered  into.  This 
has  now  been  done  away  with,  but  while  it  held, 
differences  between  landlord  and  student  tenant 
were  many  and  often  led  to  the  local  courts.  As 
students  usually  got  the  worst  of  a  legal  encounter 


228 


Concerning  Cornell 


they  often  resorted  to  rough  expedients  in  order 
that  they  might  be  ejected  from  rooms  they  no 
longer  cared  to  occupy,  either  because  the  land- 
lords or  landladies  failed  in  their  duties,  cleaning, 
provision  of  adequate  heat  and  the  like,  or  because 
the  student  had  been  taken  into  a  fraternity  and 
wanted  to  live  in  its  chapter  house.  One  man  in- 
sisted on  literally  covering  the  walls  of  his  room 
with  tacks  in  order,  he  claimed,  to  hang  a  multitude 

of  magazine  prints. 
Others  had  friends 
come  in  to  sing  at 
all  hours  of  the 
night.  The  new 
system  binds  the 
landladies  as  well 
as  the  students  and 
has  resulted  in  a 
great  improvement 

A   CORNER   OF  THE   NEW  RESIDENTIAL      jn      fag      COndiUonS. 
HALLS   FOR   MEN  mi        . 

1  hat  renting  rooms 
to  students  has,  nevertheless,  been  quite  profitable 
is  indicated  by  the  following  figures  taken  from  a 
want  advertisement  in  a  local  paper,  Ithaca  Jour- 
nal, November  21,  1913.  A  house,  nearly  new,  of 
twenty-one  rooms,  including  student  furniture,  is 
offered  for  sale  at  eleven  thousand  Hve  hundred 
dollars.  The  gross  income  for  the  preceding  year 
is  given  at  two  thousand  and  fifty-six  dollars,  the 
fixed  charges  at  four  hundred  and  four  dollars, 
leaving  a  profit  of  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty-two 
dollars.    It  should  also  be  noted  that,  in  addition 


Student  Life  229 

to  this  net  income,  the  landlady  would  have  a 
home  for  herself  at  least. 

The  earlier  difficulties  between  landlady  and 
student  were  often  the  result  of  the  activities  of  un- 
scrupulous rooming  agents.  Such  a  student  agent 
got  the  first  week's  rent  for  locating  a  man  in  a 
house  on  his  list.  Thus  many  undesirable  houses 
were  filled  while  better  places  remained  empty 


ENTRANCE,    PRUDENCE    RISLET    HALL 
Tbe  new  dormitory  for  women  students 


230  Concerning  Cornell 

because  not  listed.  Moreover  the  greenness  of 
freshmen  is  proverbial.  A  stock  story  refers  to  an 
episode  that  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  Cascadilla 
Hall.  A  freshman  moving  in  found  an  upperclass 
student  removing  his  effects  which  had  been  stored 
in  the  room  over  summer.  After  packing  every- 
thing movable;  in  Cascadilla  all  furniture  was  for- 
merly the  student's  own  property,  the  freshman's 
eyes  bulged  on  seeing  the  older  student  starting  to 
screw  at  the  connections  on  the  steam  radiator 
with  a  very  efficient  looking  wrench.  "Here,  what 
are  you  doing?"  he  asked.  "What  do  you  think? 
Taking  down  the  radiator,  it  belongs  to  me." 
"Why  I  won't  have  any  heat."  "No,  unless  you 
get  another  one."  "How  much  do  they  cost?" 
"Well,  a  new  one  would  cost  you  twenty-five  dol- 
lars, but  I'll  let  you  have  this  one  for  ten  rather 
than  move  it.  If  you'd  said  anything  I'd  a  offered 
it  to  you  in  the  first  place  but  I  didn't  want  to 
push  it  on  you. "  "All  right !  I'll  take  it, "  said  the 
freshman,  hurriedly. 

After  getting  settled  in  his  room  the  student's 
next  task  is  to  locate  an  eating  place.  In  former 
years,  this  meant  finding  a  regular  boarding-house 
suited  to  his  taste  and  purse,  but  such  dining- 
rooms  have  nearly  all  disappeared.  The  few  that 
remain  are  those  that  charge  relatively  high  prices 
and  retain  a  patronage  by  serving  good  food  in 
something  approaching  a  homelike  atmosphere. 
The  fraternities  also  attempt  to  preserve  such 
conditions  at  their  tables.  The  majority  of  the 
students,  however,  have  recourse  to  a  cafeteria, 


'The  Six  Frosh" 


Student  Life  231 

where  meals  are  served  on  the  same  plan  as  that  of 
the  restaurant  in  the  Home  Economics  department : 
help  yourself,  choose  what  you  wish  from  a  wide 
variety  offered  for  inspection  before  selection, 
much  or  little  as  the  appetite  at  the  moment  dic- 
tates. This  plan  has  many  advantages.  In  general 
it  operates  against  overeating,  a  student  may  be 
economical  if  he  wishes;  on  the  other  hand  when 
very  hungry  he  can  have  a  good  "feed" without 
needing  to  call  for  "seconds'*  of  each  serving.  A 
wide  variety  of  food  can  be  served  economically  at 
each  cafeteria  primarily  because  the  expense  of 
waiters  is  eliminated  and  second  because  the  meal 
hours  can  therefore  be  extended  over  a  longer  peri- 
od and  a  greater  number  of  diners  served  at  one 
place.  The  longer  time  that  meals  are  available  is 
a  great  convenience,  and,  as  the  customer  pays 
cash  for  each  meal  as  he  gets  it,  there  are  no  bad 
accounts,  and  the  customer  is  under  no  obligation 
to  return  to  the  same  place  for  the  next  meal.  Thus 
the  numerous  competing  establishments  make 
available  to  the  individual  a  great  variety  of  fare 
and  the  further  possibility  of  becoming  widely 
acquainted  by  eating  at  different  places.  At  one 
cafeteria  they  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  clear 
away  the  tables  after  dinner  to  make  room  for 
dancing  to  the  music  of  a  victrola.  That  the  cafe- 
teria system  is  economical  is  further  demonstrated 
by  the  fact  that  it  has  been  adopted  by  the  man- 
agement of  the  university  dormitories  and  that 
these  authorities  have  found  it  possible  to  provide 
an  orchestra  several  times  a  week  as  an  added 


232  Concerning  Cornell 

feature  to  attract  students  to  eat  in  their  establish- 
ments. So  attractive  indeed  are  the  cafeterias  that 
many  faculty  members  and  their  families  occasion- 
ally avail  themselves  of  the  privilege  of  dining  in 
them. 

Having  provided  himself  with  a  room  and  found 
a  place  to  eat,  the  freshman  is  ready  to  go  up  on  the 
campus,  perhaps  to  register,  perhaps  to  take  en- 
trance examinations.  On  the  way  he  encounters 
the  many  solicitors  whose  efforts  have  already  been 
described.  He  has  been  careful  to  purchase  and 
wear  the  gray  "frosh"  cap  that  custom  prescribes. 
On  consulting  his  " Bible,"  the  handbook  of  sug- 
gestions to  entering  students  that  the  Christian 
Association  issues  each  year,  he  learns  of  other  rules 
that  he  is  expected  to  obey.  Thus  he  must  not 
smoke  on  the  campus  or  on  the  street,  must  refrain 
from  entering  certain  resorts  down  town  and  must 
be  up  the  "Hill"  by  half -past  eleven  every  night. 
When  attending  the  theatre  he  must  not  sit  in  the 
front  rows,  and  at  games  he  is  restricted  to  certain 
stands.  If  he  does  not  adhere  to  these  and  other 
rules,  his  name  may,  at  the  request  of  the  Student 
Council  committee,  be  published  in  the  Cornell 
Daily  Sun.  That  may  not  seem  a  very  awesome 
punishment,  but  it  is  effective,  for  the  freshman 
class  itself  takes  the  greatest  pride  in  seeing  that 
these  regulations  are  enforced.  Men  of  quite  dig- 
nified maturity  are  often  included  in  the  freshman 
numbers;  these  as  well  as  the  youngsters  wear  the 
insignia  of  their  class.  Indeed  the  older  men  seem 
to  feel  they  are  in  this  way  renewing  their  youth 


Student  Life  233 

and  seldom  object,  though  their  appearance  may 
appeal  a  bit  to  the  risibilities  of  the  observer.  But 
the  cap-mark  serves  to  promote  freshman  acquaint- 
anceships and  the  other  rules  are  quite  wholesome 
in  restraining  the  native  exuberance  of  the  new 
college  boy.  One  university  rule,  at  least,  in  re- 
gard to  registration,  the  freshman  ought  to  know 
about,  and  that  is  that  as  he  writes  down  his  name 
on  the  official  card,  thus  shall  the  university  always 
thereafter  know  him.  If  he  writes  Bill  Courtcliff 
Harries,  Bill  Courtcliff  Harries  he  must  be,  though 
he  was  christened  William.  The  trustees  may  so 
far  relent,  when  it  comes  time  for  him  to  get  a 
diploma,  as  to  add  a  line  at  the  bottom  that  Bill 
has  changed  his  name  to  William,  there  is  no  other 
recourse.  No  doubt  this  rule  was  made  because 
of  Alice  wishing  to  be  Alys,  and  no  doubt  the 
friendly  registration  official  will  give  a  word  of 
caution,  nevertheless  one  trembles  for  Bill.  During 
the  early  weeks  of  the  term  a  member  of  the  Fresh- 
man Advisory  Committee  (made  up  of  junior  and 
senior  classmen)  calls  on  each  of  the  freshmen  at  his 
room  and  offers  such  counsel  as  may  seem  perti- 
nent. It  is  reported  that  one  freshman  after  listen- 
ing attentively  to  the  enthusiastic  exposition  of  his 
mentor  asked,  very  business-like:  "How  much  do  I 
owe  you  for  your  trouble?"  To  say  that  the  ad- 
visor was  somewhat  disconcerted  is  putting  it 
mildly,  yet  in  view  of  the  soliciting  he  had  probably 
undergone  since  entering,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
the  freshman  felt  that  everything  offered  had  its 
price.    Only  quite  recently  a  Sibley  student,  who 


234  Concerning  Cornell 

had  no  doubt  heard  the  story  of  the  sale  of  the 
radiator  recited  on  a  previous  page,  in  a  spirit  of 
emulation  attired  himself  in  his  shop  clothes,  en- 
tered the  room  of  a  freshman  in  the  same  Casca- 
dilla  Hall,  tinkered  with  the  radiator  for  a  while 
and  then  said,  "Three  dollars,  please;  I'm  the 
plumber."    He  got  it  too. 

On  the  first  day  of  instruction  the  president 
formerly  made  an  address  annually  to  the 
students.  This  was  one  of  the  few  occasions,  the 
exercises  on  Founder's  Day  was  another,  when  one 
might  see  a  large  part  of  the  student  body  together 
in  one  place  on  the  campus.  At  other  times  when 
large  numbers  congregated,  guests  and  townsfolk 
were  also  much  in  evidence,  as  at  games  and  on 
the  occasions  of  the  different  student  celebrations. 
The  desirability  of  more  frequent  assemblages  of 
the  student  body  itself  has  in  recent  years  been 
met  by  the  institution  of  a  Convocation  Hour.  At 
a  number  of  times  during  the  college  year,  class 
exercises  are  suspended  between  twelve  and  one 
in  the  afternoon  and  the  university  turns  out  en 
masse  to  listen  to  some  notable  personage,  as  for 
example  ex-President  Taft.  In  1920  a  Convocation 
for  the  recognition  of  scholarship  was  held  and 
was  very  successful,  hence  promises  to  be  an  en- 
during feature.  The  need  for  meetings  of  this 
kind  has  been  proved  by  the  large  attendance  at 
those  that  have  been  held.  In  fact  the  size  of  the 
audience  has  been  the  greatest  embarrassment. 
There  is  no  hall  on  the  campus  large  enough  to  hold 
all  those  who  desire  admittance. 


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Student  Life  235 

Very  soon  the  student  finds  himself  fitted  into 
the  accustomed  humdrum  of  university  work.  No 
longer  does  he  puzzle  what  class  he  has  next  and 
where  in  the  maze  of  buildings  that  particular  room 
is  located.  The  greatest  bane  of  his  existence  now 
is  the  necessity  of  making  eight  o'clock  classes. 
These  come  three  mornings  a  week  in  his  particular 
schedule  and  it  is  beastly  to  have  to  get  up  so  un- 
pleasantly early.  Nevertheless  he  finds  the  uni- 
versity system  a  pleasant  relief  from  the  dull 
routine  of  the  preparatory  school.  Here  one's 
classroom  hours  vary  with  the  days.  Thus  there 
may  be  only  one  lecture  one  morning,  though  to 
compensate  for  this,  one  may  need  to  attend  four 
or  five  exercises  the  next  day,  or  perhaps  spend  two 
and  a  half  hours  in  an  afternoon  laboratory  period 
for  a  single  credit  hour.  University  courses  are 
arranged  on  a  basis  of  credit  hours,  each  lecture  or 
recitation  in  a  week  counting  one  hour  credit,  each 
laboratory  of  two  and  one-half  hours'  duration  one 
credit.  From  twelve  to  eighteen  or  more  such 
hours  of  instruction  per  week  are  carried  by  each 
student.  Failure  to  do  satisfactory  work  invites 
suspension  from  the  university  for  a  term,  if  re- 
peated on  reinstatement,  permanent  expulsion. 

Our  freshman  being  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind 
felt  that  he  must  look  to  his  laurels  in  this  new 
sphere  of  learning.  He  had  rather  imagined  that  a 
majority  of  his  fellow  students  would  be  the  picked 
men  of  their  respective  communities  and  that  it 
would  not  be  so  easy  to  keep  to  the  front  as  it  had 
been  in  the  mixed  crowd  of  the  high  school.    To  his 


236  Concerning  Cornell 

amazement  he  finds  that  this  is  not  so.  The  rapid- 
ity with  which  some  subjects  are  covered  by  the 
long  assignments  does  bother  him  for  a  time  but 
he  soon  learns  that  because  a  class  meets  only  three 
times  a  week  it  does  not  follow  that  he  may  idle  a- 
way  all  the  intervening  hours.  Many  of  those 
hours  out  of  class  are  meant  for  reading  and  study, 
and  must  be  so  spent,  if  he  would  keep  up  with 
his  work.  Failure  to  keep  up  with  the  work  is  the 
particularly  wide  and  easy  road  to  a  "bust,"  the 
Cornell  term  for  suspension  at  the  end  of  the  term. 
There  was  formerly  an  equally  popular  path  to 
busting,  perhaps  coordinate  with  failing  to  keep 
up  with  the  work.  Its  nature  is  indicated  by  the 
refrain,  "Give  My  Regards  to  Davy:" 

Give  my  regards  to  Davy, 
Remember  me  to  Teefy  Crane. 
Tell  all  the  pikers  on  the  Hill 
That  I'll  be  back  again. 
Tell  them  of  how  I  busted, 
Lapping  up  the  high,  high-ball — 
Oh!  we'll  all  have  drinks 
Down  at  Theodore  Zinck's, 
When  I  get  back  next  fall! 

Happily  times  have  changed,  nowadays  down- 
town dissipation  consists  most  commonly  in  an 
evening  at  the  "movies."  The  revised  version  of 
this  song,  quoted  on  next  page  as  it  appeared  in 
the  Sun's  nonsense  column,  "The  Berry  Patch," 
in  1920,  signed  "Lord  Helpus,"  is  indicative  of  new 
diversions;  the  question  of  participation  in  which 
has  become  a  great  moral  issue  with  the  male 
student  body. 


Student  Life  237 

Give  my  regards  to  Gladys, 

Remember  me  to  Maud  and  Jane. 

Tell  all  the  tea-hounds  on  the  Hill 

That  I'll  be  back  again. 

Tell  them  just  how  I  busted, 

Listening  to  the  jazz  band's  call — 

Oh!  we'll  all  write  a  berry  in  the  old  Wisterie, 

When  I  get  back  next  fall! 

The  freshman  finds  that  certain  of  his  lecture 
classes  are  very  much  worth  while  and  occasionally 
something  happens,  even  in  ordinarily  dull  recita- 
tion periods,  to  relieve  the  monotony.  Thus  there 
was  quite  a  sensation  when  a  none  too  attentive 
student  misunderstood  the  English  professor's  in- 
structions to  write  an  essay  on  "Intimations  of  Im- 
mortality" and  handed  his  in  headed  "Imitations 
of  Immorality."  One  shudders  to  think  what  the 
contents  may  have  been. 

After  some  time  the  freshman  gets  acquainted 
with  all  the  men  living  in  the  same  house.  This 
may  be  a  slow  process  but  it  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  such  a  group,  brought  together  quite  fortui- 
tously, very  generally  develops  strong  bonds  of 
fellowship.  In  this  may  be  found  another  good 
argument  for  the  establishment  of  Commcns  at 
Cornell  University.  The  renovation  of  Barnes  Hall 
and  the  installation  there  of  a  "coffee  house"  has 
met  this  need  in  part.  The  Cornell  Union,  however, 
will  permit  many  more  men  to  win  the  broader  ac- 
quaintanceship which  they  fail  of  obtaining  in  the 
limited  group  inhabiting  any  one  rooming  house. 

As  in  the  fraternities,  the  men  in  rooming 
houses  quite  commonly  get  together  for  a  social 


23S  Concerning  Cornell 

hour  after  dinner,  possibly  in  several  groups  be- 
cause they  need  to  meet  in  one  of  the  single  rooms. 
In  the  absence  of  a  piano,  as  an  incentive  to  music, 
conversation  usually  develops  into  a  discussion  of 
the  relative  merits  of  athletic  teams  or  perhaps 
some  kind  of  an  "argument"  is  started.  The  top- 
ics considered  are  almost  infinite  in  their  variety, 
but  only  too  seldom  are  the  subjects  of  the  curricu- 
lum included.  After  several  hours  devoted  to 
study  there  may  be  another  period  of  relaxation 
before  retiring.  A  "feed"  is  then  in  order.  Possi- 
bly some  prank  is  concocted.  There  is  always  a 
fertile  brain  to  evolve  some  scheme.  A  rather 
fastidious  youth  was  so  rash  as  to  gloat  openly  at 
having  a  fresh  jar  of  a  new  and  especially  good  kind 
of  cold  cream  he  delighted  to  use  after  shaving. 
That  night  the  jar  was  emptied  of  its  contents  and 
clean,  fragrant,  white  library  paste  substituted. 
The  application  of  this  compound,  and  the  commo- 
tion ensuing  a  little  later,  of  course  gave  infinite 
delight  to  the  conspirators  the  next  morning.  A 
rather  crusty  old  fellow  who  for  a  long  time  was 
landlord  in  one  of  the  larger  rooming  houses  suf- 
fered because  he  was  too  prompt  in  suppressing 
any  unseemly  noises.  He  reserved  a  room  for  him- 
self at  the  end  of  a  narrow  hallway  the  greater  part 
of  the  width  of  which  was  taken  up  by  a  row  of 
empty  trunks.  One  night  the  students  remained 
quiet  until  they  were  sure  he  had  retired,  then  stole 
up  and  warily  distributed  sticky  fly-paper  all  along 
the  passageway  leading  to  his  room.  This  accom- 
plished, one  of  the  number  started  down  stairs 


Student  Life  239 

dragging  an  empty  trunk  behind  him,  while  the 
others  abetted  the  resulting  din  by  rolling  various 
objects  around  the  halls.  The  old  gentleman,  as 
expected,  jumped  right  out  of  bed  and  without 
stopping  for  slippers  rushed  down  the  hallway. 
During  the  time  he,  perforce,  adjourned  to  the 
bathroom  in  an  endeavor  to  free  his  pedal  extremi- 
ties from  their  encumbrances,  merriment  for  once 
reigned  unchecked  in  that  house. 

When  Cornell  students  spend  an  evening  down 
town,  Ithaca  requires  that  they  shall  comport 
themselves  with  dignity.  One  can  not  well  blame 
the  town  authorities  for  being  very  stringent;  if 
once  a  horde  of  five  thousand  students  gets  out  of 
hand  in  a  small  place  the  scene  is  apt  to  be  painted 
very  red.  Formerly  punishment  for  rather  mild 
offenses  was  too  commonly  in  the  nature  of  rather 
excessive  fines.  Now  the  university  employs  a 
proctor,  one  of  whose  duties  is  to  nip  incipient 
trouble  in  the  bud.  If  it  does  occur  he  acts  as  an 
intermediary  between  the  offender  and  the  law. 
But  it  is  vain  to  hope  that  all  escapades  can  be 
suppressed,  just  as  it  is  ridiculous  to  feel  that  the 
university  is  responsible  or  should  feel  compro- 
mised because  of  them.  No  one  can  guess  where  the 
next  difficulty  will  develop.  Thus  who  could  fore- 
see that  a  certain  student  would  become  so  much 
enamoured  of  the  charms  of  a  feminine  vaudeville 
star  playing  at  a  local  theatre,  as  to  feel  impelled 
to  stand  up  and  level  a  four-foot-long  telescope  at 
her  that  he  might  have  a  closer  view?  Possibly 
because  it  was  not  in  the  act  the  audience  roared, 


240  Concerning  Cornell 

nevertheless  the  student  was  promptly  arrested. 

In  the  early  weeks  of  the  fall  term,  one  attrac- 
tion, football,  is  supreme.  Small  wonder  that  with 
stands  filled  with  cheering  thousands,  a  fervor  of 
enthusiasm  should  be  aroused  in  even  the  most 
sluggish  soul!  The  freshmen  have  their  own  sec- 
tion; cheerleaders  whose  evolutions  would  be  an 
eye-opener  for  even  the  most  athletic  musical 
director  fairly  pull  yell  on  yell  from  their  husky 
throats.  Whether  the  team  is  successful  or  not, 
these  vocal  incentives  to  put  forth  their  best  efforts 
continually  ring  in  the  ears  of  the  players.  But 
what  a  wild  outcry  ensues  when  Cornell  crosses  the 
goal  line,  especially  if  the  game  is  an  important  one. 
The  Cornell  yell  is  famous  of  yore  and  its  simple 
directness  makes  it  very  effective.  At  present 
what  are  termed  "three  short  ones"  and  the  "long 
yell"  have  the  vogue,  but  it  is  said  that  these  are 
only  indifferently  successful  modifications  of  the 
original  Cornell  yell.  This  was  composed  of  the 
words,  "  Cornell — I — yell — yell — yell — Cornell ; " 
was  given  only  once  in  a  considerable  interval,  and 
was  spoken  very  slowly.  It  is  said  that  the  bark- 
ing roar  produced  could  be  heard  at  points  four 
miles  distant  from  the  origin.  Efforts  have  been 
made  to  revive  it  but  the  present  generation  seems 
to  prefer  something  more  continuous  and  rapid 
to  the  greater  volume  of  the  old  yell. 

Scenes  and  occasions  like  these,  with  their  emo- 
tional interest,  develop  that  intangible  thing  called 
college  spirit.  In  the  minds  of  many  practical 
persons  this  is  a  silly  affectation  of  callow  youth. 


1  v* 

n . 

*^0m^? 

hip 

Freshman  Banquet  Rush 


A  Croup  from  the  Pageant 
May  191- 


Student  Life  241 

But  Cornell  spirit  of  the  true  sort  sinks  deeper,  it 
is  a  great  affection  rather  for  the  university,  a 
pride  in  her  standards,  a  belief  in  her  ideals  and  a 
sincere  wishfulness  to  become  a  worthy  graduate 
from  her  halls.  Such  is  the  feeling  that,  when  the 
game  ends,  whether  it  has  been  won  or  lost,  impels 
every  undergraduate  to  rise  and  with  bared  head 
to  sing  the  Alma  Mater  with  his  thousands  of  class- 
mates while  the  shadows  lengthen  and  the  mellow 
Indian  summer  afternoon  comes  to  a  close. 

In  the  middle  of  the  term  many  professors 
announce  preliminary  examinations.  In  courses 
where  they  are  given  there  are  usually  several  such 
tests  before  the  final.  As  the  term  standing  of  the 
student  in  the  subject  depends  very  largely  on  the 
marks  received  on  the  preliminary  examinations  it 
behooves  the  undergraduate  to  make  a  good  show- 
ing. Some  departments  excuse  students  who  have 
a  term  average  of  eighty-five  or  over  from  writing 
the  final  examination.  In  such  cases  there  is  an 
added  incentive  to  do  well  in  the  earlier  tests.  Even 
those  students  who  habitually  practise  "sharp- 
shooting  for  a  sixty,' '  the  passing  mark;  figurative- 
ly at  least,  sit  up  and  take  notice  when  the  time 
for  preliminaries  draws  nigh.  Too  often  though 
they  come  away  in  the  same  frame  of  mind  as  the 
individual  who  headed  his  paper: 

"Lord  God  of  Hosts  be  with  us  yet 
Lest  we  forget,  lest  we  forget. ' ' 

and  at  the  end  set  down: 

"Lord  God  of  Hosts  was  with  us  not 
For  we  forgot,  for  we  forgot. ' ' 


242  Concerning  Cornell 

Undergraduates  quite  commonly  have  a  feeling 
that  they  are  held  too  strictly  to  account  in  the 
marking  of  examinations  at  Cornell.  It  is  interest- 
ing in  this  connection  to  record  the  change  of  feel- 
ing generally  experienced  by  young  instructors 
engaged  in  grading  papers.  When  first  given  the 
task,  they  generally  voice  the  sentiment  of  the 
students  on  this  subject  and  deliberately  try  to  be 
generous  in  their  marking.  Perhaps  before  they 
have  finished  with  the  first  set  of  papers,  almost 
without  fail  when  they  come  to  the  second  lot, 
their  mental  attitude  changes  and  they  need  to  be 
cautioned  not  to  expect  too  much.  Indeed  the 
utter  imbecility  shown  by  some  answers  would  try 
even  proverbial  patience.  Perhaps  indifferent  in- 
struction in  many  preparatory  schools  is  most  com- 
monly to  blame  for  the  poor  results.  Thus  it  is 
a  fact  that  many  students  do  not  understand  the 
English  language  well  enough  to  interpret  ques- 
tions intelligently.  The  grammar  and  handwriting 
of  the  answers  is  often  such  as  to  make  one  ashamed 
to  need  to  consider  them  even,  coming  from  uni- 
versity students. 

If  preliminary  examinations  excite  some  meas- 
ure of  apprehension  in  the  undergraduate  mind, 
this  is  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  mental 
anguish  suffered  during  "Block  Week,"  as  the 
period  in  which  the  term  examinations  are  given 
is  called.  Happy  then  is  the  man  whose  work  has 
been  good  enough  to  secure  for  him  an  exempt. 
The  examination  schedule  extends  over  ten  days, 
mornings  and  afternoons,  and  the  less  fortunate 


Student  Life  243 

brethren  put  in  anxious  hours  of  tutoring  and 
cramming  in  the  time  that  precedes  the  particular 
tests  each  needs  to  pass.  Once  in,  stay  in,  is  not 
true  of  Cornell  as  it  is  in  some  schools.  Here  the 
incompetents  are  ruthlessly  weeded  out  and  sent 
home  at  the  end  of  each  term.  While  they  may 
sympathize  with  the  man  who  has  failed,  Cornell 
men  are  glad  this  is  done  for  it  insures  that  the 
Cornell  degree  stands  for  four  years  of  conscien- 
tious and  successful  study. 

After  the  travail  of  mid-year  Block  Week  comes 
Junior  Week  with  its  attendant  festivities  and  bevy 
of  fair  guests.  Free  from  mental  cares,  the  under- 
graduate plunges  into  a  round  of  reckless  physical 
dissipation  which  perhaps  leaves  him  even  more 
exhausted  than  did  the  examinations  of  the  pre- 
ceding period.  So  many  events  must  be  crowded 
into  so  short  a  period  that  the  nights  as  well  as  the 
days  are  filled,  no  time  is  left  for  sleep.  The  Musi- 
cal Clubs  give  a  concert,  the  Masque  a  play,  there 
are  breakfasts  and  tea  dances  and  private  theat- 
ricals. But  the  great  occasion  is  the  Junior  Ball. 
A  considerable  portion  of  the  gaunt  interior  of  the 
Drill  Hall  is  converted  to  a  fairy  bower  for  this 
event.  It  gleams  with  a  myriad  of  lights,  while 
great  garlands  of  flowers  and  greenery  are  fes- 
tooned from  the  ribboned  canopy  overhead.  The 
sides  are  measured  off  in  an  unbroken  row  of 
boxes,  each  gaily  decorated  with  furniture  and 
trappings  from  the  college  homes  of  the  occupants. 
The  girls  also  do  their  part  to  enliven  the  scene 
by  reserving  their  prettiest  gown  for  this  dance. 


244  Concerning  Cornell 

Indeed  there  is  a  gown  for  every  possible  occasion 
and  if  the  fair  maid  can  possibly  manage  she  has 
a  different  one  for  every  event  of  its  kind. 

During  this  week  local  taxicab-men,  caterers 
and  decorators  reap  a  rich  harvest.  Of  late  years, 
there  has  been  considerable  agitation  to  keep  down 
the  expenses  of  participation  in  the  entertaining. 
Thus  flowers  for  the  girls  were  for  a  time  taboo. 
The  Bailey  Auditorium  provides  a  suitable  hall  for 
the  Musical  Clubs  concert,  obviating  the  large 
expense  involved  in  leasing  the  local  theatre.  Sim- 
ilarly the  use  of  the  Drill  Hall  has  made  possible 
the  accommodation  of  greatly  increased  numbers 
at  the  dances  and  this  has  resulted  in  a  much  re- 
duced cost  of  individual  tickets  and  possibly  also 
in  the  expense  of  decoration. 

During  the  winter  months  the  university  com- 
munity is  augmented  by  the  presence  of  some  six 
hundred  or  more  short  or  winter  course  students 
registered  in  the  College  of  Agriculture.  To  these 
the  regular  undergraduates  apply  the  term  "Short 
Horns."  These  "Short  Horns"  comprise  mostly 
farmers  and  other  agricultural  workers,  largely 
from  New  York  State,  who  wish  to  get  in  touch 
with  the  latest  methods  and  ideas  in  their  various 
lines.  Younger  men  predominate  though  there  are 
quite  a  few  men,  and  women,  well  advanced  in 
years.  Probably  these  students  derive  greater 
practical  benefit  from  their  short  period  of  instruc- 
tion than  do  many  undergraduates  from  a  four- 
year  course.  They  certainly  take  themselves  very 
seriously  and  the  efforts  of  some  of  their  number 


Student  Life  245 

to  dress  and  act  the  part  of  a  college  student  are 
often  amusing.  Their  conversations,  too,  are  apt 
to  be  quite  droll,  as  this,  overheard  on  Central 
Avenue:  "You  ought  to  'ave  been  to  the  Poultry 
'Sociation  meetin'."  "Why?"  "Fellows  almost 
got  to  hitten  each  other."  "How'd  that  come?" 
"  Couldn't  decide  about  the  pin,  some  fellows  want- 


FOREST    HOME    PATH    IN    WINTER 


ed  a  egg  on  it,  others  a  hen.    Looks  like  it  might 
break  up  the  'Sociation. " 

The  first  outdoor  diversion  afforded  after  the 
skating  and  tobogganing  days  of  January  and 
February  have  been  succeeded  by  an  apparently 
interminable  epoch  of  gray  skies  and  snow-ooze 
is  the  Freshman  Banquet  Rush.  This  comes  on 
one  of  the  first  bright  Saturdays  of  the  spring. 


246  Concerning  Cornell 

when  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground  but  while  the 
soil  is  still  wet  and  soft  for  many  inches  below  the 
surface.  At  the  call  to  arms  the  freshmen  and 
sophomores  range  themselves  on  opposite  sides  of 
a  square  on  the  Playground  and  divide  into  squads 
of  about  fifty  in  single  line  on  each  side.  Each 
individual  is  decked  out  in  the  oldest  clothes  he 
owns  or  can  borrow.  At  the  crack  of  a  pistol  the 
rival  bands,  each  with  locked  arms,  edge  cautiously 
toward  the  middle  of  the  field.  There  the  lines 
suddenly  break  and  a  man  to  man  encounter 
ensues.  The  object  of  the  game,  for  the  freshmen, 
is  to  get  to  the  far  side  uncaught,  for  the  sopho- 
mores to  permit  no  freshman  to  pass  their  line. 
On  being  downed  the  freshman  must  be  held  for 
three  minutes  to  perfect  the  capture.  After  several 
encounters  have  occurred  the  battlefield  becomes  a 
sea  of  mud.  As  the  classes  number  each  about 
one  thousand  men  the  spectators  are  afforded  the 
unique  thrill  of  seeing  hundreds  of  individuals 
successively  roll  and  struggle  in  the  mire.  A  suffi- 
cient compensation  for  the  soft  ground  is  the  mini- 
mized danger  of  injury  in  the  encounters.  The 
event  usually  winds  up  in  a  free  for  all,  mud- 
slinging  contest,  after  which  the  sophomores  paint 
the  faces  of  their  captives  in  brilliant  hues  of  green, 
blue  and  red,  and  supply  them  with  signs  and 
banners  proclaiming  their  insignificance.  Thus 
accoutred  they  are  paraded  about  the  Campus 
for  the  edification  of  the  multitude.  But  after  the 
parade  the  freshmen  are  permitted  to  escape  to 
much  needed  shower  baths  and,  after  a  thorough 


Student  Life  247 

wash,  to  enjoy  their  first  class-banquet  in  peace. 
This  rather  tame  affair  is  the  only  survival  of 
the  strenuous  freshman  banquet  proceedings  of 
earlier  days  that  came  to  a  climax  and  were 
abolished  after  the  fall  of  1904.  The  object  of  the 
sophomores  in  those  times  was  to  prevent,  by  cap- 
ture and  imprisonment,  as  many  freshmen  as  possi- 
ble from  attending  the  banquet,  especially  the  class 
officers;  or  to  usher  their  captives  into  the  midst 
of  the  banquet  with  faces  grotesquely  painted  and 
in  garments  as  freakish  as  could  be  devised.  That, 
after  parading  the  captives  so  decorated  and  in 
manacles  through  Ithaca  streets.  During  the  sev- 
eral days  that  preceded  the  banquet  it  was  neces- 
sary for  freshmen  to  go  into  hiding  and  to  go  to 
classes  only  in  numerically  strong  bands  if  they 
wished  to  avoid  abduction.  Holes  were  even 
chopped  into  the  roofs  of  houses  by  the  sopho- 
mores in  their  endeavors  to  capture  freshmen 
sequestered  in  attics.  On  the  night  of  the  banquet, 
freshmen,  wTho  had  until  then  escaped  capture, 
made  their  way  to  some  secluded  rendezvous  from 
whence  they  proceeded  in  a  body  to  the  Armory 
where  the  banquet  was  held.  Inside  the  Armory 
was  a  safe  haven  but  sophomores  guarded  the 
approaches  and  perhaps  turned  the  stream  from 
a  fire  hose  on  the  freshmen  stormers.  Altogether 
those  were  rather  riotous  days  and  when,  finally, 
university  work  came  to  be  seriously  interrupted, 
and  property  damage  amounted  to  considerable 
sums,  the  faculty  put  a  ban  on  the  whole  affair. 
For  one  year  everv  semblance  of  a  rush  was  abso- 


248  Concerning  Cornell 

lutely  prohibited.  In  the  following  year  the  under- 
graduates secured  permission  to  stage  the  modified 
performance  of  today. 

In  marked  contrast  with  this  spectacle,  now 
officially  designated  the  Underclass  Mud  Rush, 
was  the  picturesqueness  and  beauty  of  a  pageant 
given  by  the  women  of  the  university  in  May,  1917. 
In  a  series  of  episodes  this  depicted  the  part  that 
women  have  had  in  the  development  of  universi- 
ties, in  science  and  learning,  from  the  days  of  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  down  to  the  present.  The 
spectacle  was  staged  in  the  natural  amphitheatre 
of  Cascadilla  Creek.  The  participants  in  varie- 
gated gowns,  extended  in  intricate  figures  of  dances 
ancient  and  modern,  over  the  young  turf  and  pro- 
jected forth  boldly  by  the  background  of  just- 
greening  trees  on  the  slopes,  provided  a  most 
brilliant  ensemble,  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

Spring  Day,  also,  has  a  recent  origin.  Its  incep- 
tion was  a  comic  parade  held  on  the  campus  in 
the  morning  of  March  29,  1901,  as  an  advertising 
stunt  in  behalf  of  a  performance  by  the  Musical 
Clubs  at  the  Lyceum,  in  the  night  of  the  same 
day,  for  the  benefit  of  athletic  finances,  which  were 
at  that  time  at  a  very  low  ebb.  The  parade  idea 
immediately  caught  the  student  fancy  and  in  the 
following  year  a  bright  undergraduate  mind  con- 
ceived that  some  cash  might  be  collected  at  the 
time  of  the  morning  lark.  This  was  accordingly 
designated  "A  Campus  Frolic"  and  its  program 
consisted  of  a  series  of  tugs  of  war  between  teams 
from  the  various  colleges,  held  in  the  intervals  be- 


Student  Life  249 

tween  classes.  Meanwhile  student  venders  sold 
rattles  and  other  noise  making  toys  at  profiteering 
rates.  The  impromptu  performance  proved  to  be 
great  fun,  and  the  fact  that  two  hundred  dollars 
net  gain  resulted  was  sufficient  incentive  to  at- 
tempt something  of  the  same  sort  on  a  more 
elaborate  scale  in  the  next  year.  Hence  1903  saw 
a  tent  erected  on  the  quadrangle,  a  special  recess 
period  reserved  for  the  show  and  the  official  de- 
nomination of  the  revelry  as  "Spring  Day,"  to 
indicate  that  its  purpose  was  to  give  expression  to 
the  undergraduate  joy  at  the  approach  of  the 
vernal  season.  The  feature  this  time  was  the  ex- 
hibition of  the  "much  mooted  Mouch-Mouche,,, 
which  proved  (after  the  payment  of  twenty-five 
cents  to  enter  an  ante  chamber,  bare  of  all  but  its 
canvas  walls,  and  another  dime  to  pass  through 
into  an  inner  enclosure)  to  be  a  little  red  and 
black  pig. 

The  success  of  "Mouch-Mouche,"  and  of 
"Mzupzi"  which  followed,  suggested  giving  each 
succeeding  Spring  Day  a  distinctive  name,  at  first 
merely  grotesque  and  beguiling,  later  one  both 
allusive  to  the  mercenary  designs  of  the  perpetra- 
tors and  also  susceptible  of  utilization  in  advance 
advertising  of  a  cryptic  sort.  Of  these,  "H.  A.S.  H." 
(have  a  shekel  handy)  "Oui  Gneau"  (that  no 
change  is  returned)  and  later  ones  referring,  as  a 
final  kink,  to  a  titular  genius,  as  "Hell  Puss," 
featured  on  the  placards  as  a  disreputable  torn  cat 
(help  us)  "Mister  Enuf"  pictured  as  a  dime  novel 
sleuth  and  indicating  that  the  shows  would  pro- 


250  Concerning  Cornell 

vide  mystery  enough;  are  representative  of  the 
racy  fertility  of  the  undergraduate  mind  as  applied 
to  its  own  devices. 

There  was  a  hiatus  for  several  years  because  of 
the  war  and  the  Student  Army  Training  Corps 
administration,  but  this  was  successfully  bridged 
when  "Colonel  Hardly  Fair"  (to  so  delude  the  un- 
sophisticated) presided  at  an  indoor  carnival  of  the 
same  general  character  as  Spring  Day  in  the  winter 
of  1919  and  gave  a  military  flavor  to  the  official 
housewarming  of  the  new  Drill  Hall  and  its  dedi- 
cation to  university  uses.  "Hoodoo  Eve"  (some 
who  do,  some  who  do  not  dance)  presenting  also: 
"The  Organ  Ref rightful,"  "The  Move  Ease,"  the 
"Meeting  of  the  Plague  of  Nations"  and  similar 
skits,  "all  hoodooed,"  followed  in  March,  1920, 
and  the  spring  of  1920  witnessed  the  revival  of  the 
old  time  Spring  Day  in  the  guise  of  a  "Roman 
Carnival." 

From  the  original  location  on  the  quadrangle 
the  shows  have  moved  successively  to  the  Armory 
green,  the  Library  slope  and  now  to  Schoellkopf 
Stadium  which  promises  to  be  a  permanent  site. 
They  continue  to  retain  much  of  their  old  time 
flavor  and  resemble  most  the  side  show  offerings 
of  a  big  circus.  For  the  actual  celebration  many 
tents  and  fakirs'  booths  are  set  up  during  the  night 
preceding  and  in  the  early  morning  of  the  day. 
At  about  ten  o'clock,  a  grotesque  parade  is  organ- 
ized downtown,  and  slowly  wends  its  way  up  the 
hill,  accompanied  by  an  ever  increasing  throng  of 
students  and  visitors.     A  few  moments  after  the 


a 

"3 
rti      V 

3  "I 

oS  1 

—    k 

£  & 

z  £ 

X     S 


Receiving  Diplomas,  at  the  Registrar's  Office 
After  the  Graduation  Exercises 


Student  Life  251 

field  is  reached  every  attraction  is  going  full  swing. 
A  great  variety  of  shows  is  offered  each  one  by  a 
different  organization.  The  Cosmopolitan  Club's 
attraction  is  usually  especially  elaborate,  for  its 
members  may  draw  on  the  talent  and  costumes  of 
nearly  all  nations  in  planning  their  exhibition.  The 
advance  advertising  of  the  Bull  Fight  in  1905  re- 
ferred so  insistently  to  the  presence  of  a  real  bull 
and  to  Spanish-American  undergraduate  mata- 
dors that  the  newspaper  fraternity  were  sold  and, 
in  turn,  almost  succeeded  in  bringing  the  univer- 
sity into  disrepute  by  virtuously  denouncing  the 
proceedings,  before  the  event.  A  real  bull  appeared 
in  the  parade;  the  fight,  however,  centered  about 
a  papier  mach'e  beast  animated  by  a  couple  of 
students  possessed  of  a  surplus  of  animal  spirits. 
Nothing  could  better  indicate  the  attitude  of  all 
present  than  the  success,  at  a  recent  celebration, 
of  a  little  booth  built  four  square  and  waist  high, 
in  the  center  of  which  a  big,  china  wash-bowl  re- 
posed on  the  sward.  Its  promoters  barked :  "  Come 
on,  come  on,  all  you  have  to  do  is  throw  your  money 
in  an  old-fashioned  wash-bowl!" — and  that  indeed 
was  all.  Foolish  as  it  may  seem  it  is  nevertheless 
true  that  they  collected  many  dollars  by  this  expe- 
dient. At  another  booth  you  are  invited  to  at- 
tempt to  cast  wooden  rings  over  the  heads  of  a  lot 
of  live  ducks  swimming  about  an  artificial  pond. 
Do  you  catch  the  subtlety  of  the  duck,  "ducking"? 
Things  such  as  these  make  up  the  attraction  of 
Spring  Day;  every  body  comes  ready  to  smile  and 
pay. 


252  Concerning  Cornell 

The  Spring  Day  shows  are  closed  at  one  o'clock- 
They  are  followed  in  the  early  afternoon  by  an 
intercollegiate  baseball  game.  Then  the  crowd 
hurries  to  board  the  observation  train  for  the  re- 
gatta on  Cayuga.  In  its  every  detail  this  is  the 
most  picturesque  spectacle  of  the  year  at  Cornell. 
The  observation  train,  thirty-five  or  more  cars 
long,  banked  high  with  seats  and  crowded  to 
capacity  with  a  gay  freight  of  holiday  makers  is  in 
itself  a  unique  sight.  It  winds  ponderously  along 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  an  engine  puffing  at  each  end, 
the  while  the  bright  colors  of  the  gowns  worn  by 
the  feminine  passengers  stand  out  in  pleasing  con- 
trast with  the  dark  rich  green  of  the  foliage  on  the 
steep  slope  and  the  high  rock  cliffs  that  overhang 
the  tracks.  Banners  wave,  Cornell  colors  predom- 
inating; heads  bob,  everybody  is  interested  and 
excited.  Along  the  shores  and  on  the  lake  the  scene 
is  equally  animated.  Here  thousands  of  other  spec- 
tators have  been  gathering  for  hours  past,  coming 
by  motor,  afoot  and  afloat.  Over  the  wooded 
hills  on  the  far  side  of  the  water  the  sun  is  sinking 
low,  evening  clouds  gather  and  the  whole  scene  is 
soon  aglow  with  the  golden  colors  of  a  Cayuga  sun- 
set. Now  the  course  has  been  cleared,  the  waters 
are  oily  smooth,  the  crews  are  at  the  start,  they 
are  off.  Rhythmically  the  oarsmen  sway,  faster  for- 
ward leap  the  slender  shells,  in  perfect  form  the 
Cornell  crew  plies  the  nearly  invincible  Courtney 
stroke.  From  the  observation  train,  keeping  just 
abreast  of  the  racing  eights  comes  a  continuous 
roar  of  cheering.    The  last  half-mile  is  reached,  it 


Student  Life  253 

is  still  nip  and  tuck  which  crew  will  win,  the  op- 
ponents are  raising  the  stroke,  Cornell  holds  steady, 
it  is  the  opponents'  last  spurt,  they  can  not  keep 
it  up,  true  to  form  Cornell  is  forging  ahead,  now  it 
is  a  half  length,  a  length,  that  Cornell  leads,  she 
crosses  the  line,  the  race  is  won !  There  comes  then 
a  tremendous  burst  of  cheering  accompanied  by  the 
whistles  of  excursion  steamers  and  metallic  toots 
from  countless  motor  boats.  After  that  the  whole 
assemblage  streams  back  to  the  city. 

The  transfer  of  the  Poughkeepsie  regatta  to 
Cayuga  in  1920  gave  the  most  important  inter- 
collegiate water  event  of  the  year  a  Cornell  setting. 
It  was  then  hoped  that  this  could  be  made  a  per- 
manent feature,  for  the  lake  course  is  ideal,  both 
for  the  racers  and  the  spectators. 

When  Spring  Day  has  come  and  gone  the  year 
is  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close.  Seniors  begin  to  dis- 
cuss their  prospects,  many  are  seeking  positions 
in  the  professions  that  they  have  been,  for  four 
years,  training  to  enter.  They  are  looking  back- 
ward too,  with  both  pleasure  and  regret,  on  their 
undergraduate  careers;  with  pleasure,  because  op- 
portunity for  the  enjoyment  of  such  years  came  to 
their  lives,  with  regret  because  they  failed  at  times 
to  recognize  the  advantages  that  were  theirs. 
Like  childhood  and  youth,  college  life  is  a  stage 
in  the  process  of  existence  that  may  not  be 
recalled.  It  differs,  though,  from  ordinary  periods 
of  life  in  that  it  may  be  missed.  But  no  Cornell 
alumnus  would  exchange  those  four  years  in  his 
life  for  any  other  experience,  and  it  is  an  inkling  of 


254 


Concerning  Cornell 


that  feeling  which  the  seniors  are  now  first  learning 
to  know.  It  fastens  on  them  most  strongly  when 
they  forgather  those  last  few  times  as  classmates 
at  Senior  Singing.  Men  to  whom  the  Cornell  melo- 
dies are  much  more  familiar  by  ear  than  by  per- 
formance nevertheless  once  or  several  evenings 
seek  a  place  in  the  group  that  crowds  the  portico 
and  steps  of  Goldwin  Smith  Hall.  For  there,  while 
the  sun  is  slowly  sinking  and  the  evening  light 
grows  dimmer,  the  seniors  as  fancy  directs  give 
voice  to  all  the  Cornell  airs,  grave  and  gay.  They 
look  out  across  the  quadrangle  whose  confines 
their,  often  unwilling,  steps  have  so  many  times 
measured  and  find  that  its  familiar  features  have 
suddenly  become  tenfold  more  dear.  In  front  a 
great  throng  of  undergraduates  and  faculty  has 
gathered  to  hear  their  swan-songs.    This  audience 

applauds  vigor- 
ously their  lighter 
efforts  but  stands 
hushed  when  the 
singers,  soon  to 
pass  out  from 
these  scenes,  with 
vibrant  voices 
render  one  of  the 
heritage  of  grand 
songs  that  express 
the  deep  measure 
of  affection  of 
Cornellians  for 
when  the  sun  .  .  Alma      JVlater. 


Student  Life  255 

Then  the  underclassmen  in  the  crowd  feel  sordidly 
grateful  that  it  is  not  they  who  must  depart  for 
always,  the  while  they  extend  muttered  sympathy 
to  the  group  on  the  steps.  The  seniors  themselves 
fail  to  appreciate  how  great  their  sentimental 
attachment  is  for  all  that  spells  college  days  in  the 
first  few  gatherings  for  Senior  Singing  when  all  the 
student  body  is  still  in  residence.  But  when,  ex- 
aminations over,  the  numbers  leave  for  home  and 
the  ranks  of  the  audience  are  thinned  to  fewer  than 
those  of  the  singers,  then  first  the  seniors  realize 
how  they  are  to  be  cut  off.  Completely  appro- 
priate then  in  sentiment  and  to  the  time  and  place, 
are  the  very  last  stanzas  to  which  they  give  voice, 
those  of  what  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
Cornell  airs  in  both  words  and  music,  the  "Even- 
ing Song :" 

When  the  sun  fades  far  away 
In  the  crimson  of  the  west, 

And  the  voices  of  the  day 

Murmur  low  and  sink  to  rest — 

Music  with  the  twilight  falls 
O'er  the  dreaming  lake  and  dell 

'Tis  an  echo  from  the  walls 
Of  our  own,  our  fair  Cornell. 

Life  is  joyous  when  the  hours 

Move  in  melody  along; 
All  its  happiness  is  ours, 

While  we  join  the  vesper  song. 

Welcome  night,  and  welcome  rest, 
Fading  music  fare  thee  well; 

Joy  to  all  we  love  the  best, 
Love  to  thee,  our  fair  Cornell ! 


CHAPTER  V 

STUDENT  ACTIVITIES  AND  OBSERVANCES 

THE  term  "student  activities"  may  be  used 
in  a  broad  sense  to  include  all  participation  by 
students,  either  individually  or  cooperatively,  in 
affairs  other  than  those  prescribed  by  the  curricu- 
lum. By  adding  the  term  "observances"  to  the 
title  of  this  section,  it  may  also  be  made  to  include 
some  account  of  the  various  occasions,  commonly 
called  college  customs,  in  whose  fulfillment  a  large 
part  of  the  undergraduate  body  has  an  interest. 
Thus  broadly  defined,  student  activities  and  ob- 
servances comprise  many  phases  of  college  life. 
In  their  relation  to  the  educational  purpose  of  the 
institution,  they  range  from  matters  that  are  di- 
rectly coordinate  with  the  work  of  instruction  and 
research,  to  those  which  are  allied  to  it,  and  to  such 
as  are  in  the  nature  of  distractions  from  it.  The 
efforts  of  individual  students  toward  self-support, 
and  an  enterprise  of  so  dissimilar  character  as  the 
management  of  a  college  dance,  are  both  part  and 
parcel  of  student  activities.  Thus  some  student 
activities  may  be  held  entirely  praiseworthy  and 
commendable  while  the  development  of  others  has 
made  them,  recently  at  least,  the  target  for  much 
adverse  criticism. 

Since  the  efforts  of  the  working  student  to  win 
his  way  have  always  been  considered  deserving  of 
sympathy  and  cooperation  on  part  of  the  faculties, 
this  kind  of  student  activity  may  well  be  consid- 


Student  Activities 


257 


ered  first.  Possibly  no  other  American  university 
affords  the  self-supporting  student  so  good  oppor- 
tunities as  does  Cornell.  While  not  many  men, 
probably,  succeed  in  paying  all  the  expenses  of  a 
four  years'  course  by  their  earnings  during  the 
terms  of  residence,  quite  a  number  are  able  to  meet 
all  their  obligations  by  supplementing  such  earn- 
ings with  money  acquired  during  the  summer  va- 
cation periods.  Usually  the  undergraduate  can 
get  away  from  Cornell  early  in  June  and  need  not 
return  until  late  in  September.  Thus  he  has  from 
fifteen  to  sixteen  weeks  wholly  free  to  devote  to 
summer  employment.  It  must  not  be  inferred 
from  this  that  the  Cornell  summer  vacation  is  un- 
usually long;  it  does  extend  over  a  slightly  greater 
period  than  that  of  some  other  institutions  of  the 
same  rank,  but,  on  the  other  hand  the  Christmas 
and  Easter  vacations  at  Cor- 
nell are  shorter  than  is  custom- 
ary elsewhere,  only  one  holi- 
day is  allowed  at  Thanksgiving 
time,  and  comparatively  few 
other  legal  holidays  are  ob- 
served by  suspension  of  in- 
struction— hence,  if  indeed  the 
Cornell  undergraduate  has  a 
few  days  longer  vacation  in 
summer,  the  period  of  instruc- 
tion is  not  diminished  thereby. 
Opportunities  for  earning 
money  while  in  residence 
no    doubt    vary    greatly    in 


258  Concerning  Cornell 

different  educational  communities.  In  the  smaller 
institutions  of  collegiate  rank  there  is  comparatively 
little  opportunity  for  self-support.  Such  colleges  are 
located,  as  a  rule,  in  small  communities,  the  busi- 
ness enterprises  of  which  are  themselves,  commonly, 
in  large  part  dependent  on  the  custom  of  the  stu- 
dents and  of  the  institution.  Moreover,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  students  are  drawn  from  the  immediate 
locality  in  which  the  institution  is  located,  and, 
in  general,  from  families  of  no  great  affluence.  The 
institution  itself  being  small,  its  administration  is 
not  complex;  consequently  is  carried  on  almost 
wholly  by  its  regularly  employed  faculty  and  offi- 
cers. Thus,  as  neither  the  college  nor  the  student 
body  spends  much  money,  there  is  little  to  be 
earned.  On  the  other  hand,  it  will  be  noted  that 
of  the  large  universities  in  the  East,  with  which 
Cornell  may  be  compared  in  this  connection,  most 
are  located  in,  or  very  near,  large  cities.  This  kind 
of  location  affords  both  a  variety  and  multiplicity 
of  employment  for  students  that  is  not  available 
at  Cornell.  But  under  such  conditions  the  working 
student  has  little  part  in  the  university  life.  More- 
over, even  if  he  finds  employment  in  the  immediate 
university  community,  he  is  usually  at  a  great 
social  disadvantage  in  comparison  with  the  status 
of  students  who  pay  their  way  with  money  from 
home.  This  is  a  handicap,  and  must  be  considered 
in  the  question  of  self-support  while  at  college. 
For  instance,  a  large  number  of  students  in  almost 
all  institutions  find  employment  as  table  waiters. 


Student  Activities  259 

Such  service  carries  no  stigma  with  it  at  Cornell. 
Men  who  have  waited  on  table  are  elected  to  class 
offices,  make  fraternities,  and  commonly  are  the 
good  friends  of  those  whom  they  serve.  The  com- 
pensation for  waiting  on  table  is  usually  free  board 
and  the  work  requires  about  twenty-five  hours  per 
week.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  spread  of  the 
cafeteria  system  at  Cornell  is  responsible  for  a 
marked  reduction  in  the  number  of  waiters  needed. 
Free  lodging  is  the  usual  compensation  for  tend- 
ing furnace  at  one  of  the  numerous  rooming  houses 
for  students,  though  at  many  private  residences 
similar  service  is  rendered  for  cash  wages.  Such 
work  has  the  disadvantage  of  necessitating  both 
late  hours  and  early  rising.  Yet  it  is  surprising  to 
learn  how  much  outside  labor  some  students  can 
perform  without  suffering  either  physically  or  men- 
tally as  a  result.  Several  years  ago  a  man  was 
graduated  from  the  Sibley  College  of  Engineering 
with  high  marks  and  good  health,  who  had,  during 
his  undergraduate  years,  regularly  risen  at  four,  fed 
the  furnace  at  his  rooming  house,  then  walked  half 
a  mile  to  the  college  classrooms  where  he  per- 
formed some  light  janitorial  work,  came  back,  had 
his  breakfast,  waited  on  table  and  then  went  to  his 
classes.  At  noon  and  night  he  also  waited  table 
and  looked  after  the  furnace.  Yet  this  student 
managed  to  find  time  to  see  nearly  all  the  inter- 
collegiate athletic  contests  that  occurred  at  Ithaca, 
and  there  again  turned  his  presence  to  good  ac- 
count by  securing  a  position  as  ticket  taker  at  the 
grandstand,   thus  securing  his  admission  and  a 


260  Concerning  Cornell 

money  payment  in  addition.  Of  course,  only  a  few 
men  are  capable  of  carrying  such  a  load  of  work 
and  also  succeeding  in  their  studies,  especially  when 
meeting  the  exacting  schedules  of  the  engineering 
colleges.  The  great  majority  of  college  students 
who  seek  employment  desire  only  to  husband  and 
supplement  their  resources,  rather  than  to  earn  all 
their  expenses,  and  it  will  be  appreciated  that  the 
money  saved  each  week  by  securing  free  board  and 
room  means  a  very  considerable  reduction  in  out- 
lay. At  Cornell  the  total  expenses  for  a  year  can 
be  kept  down  to  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars  by  the 
practice  of  rigid  economy,  and  free  board  and  room 
will  account  for  at  least  half  the  sum. 

Most  student  workers  are  unskilled  laborers. 
In  addition  to  waiting  on  table  and  tending  furnace, 
many,  consequently,  are  also  employed  at  such 
tasks  as  mowing  lawns,  washing  windows,  polish- 
ing floors,  as  chauffeurs,  clerking  in  stores,  espe- 
cially in  those  that  sell  student  supplies.  Such  men 
are  also  available  for  the  work  of  returning  books  to 
the  stacks  at  the  University  Library.  The  usual 
payment  for  services  of  this  kind  is  from  twenty  to 
thirty-five  cents  per  hour.  Students  capable  of 
operating  typewriters  or  taking  dictation  are  al- 
most sure  of  employment  at  considerably  higher 
pay  in  copying  theses,  lecture  notes,  professors' 
manuscripts  and  the  like.  Mechanical  and  archi- 
tectural draftsmen  earn  considerable  money  by 
making  drawings  for  books.  Soliciting  subscrip- 
tions for  periodicals  and  selling  books,  room  deco- 
rations and  pictorial  calendars  from  room  to  room 


Student  Activities  281 

net  a  handsome  profit  to  a  number  of  students 
who  have  the  salesman's  gift  of  persuasion.  Musi- 
cians are  in  great  demand;  they  find  places  in  the 
orchestras  of  local  theatres  and  in  some  cafeterias. 
Violinists  and  pianists,  particularly,  are  much  re- 
quired for  playing  at  innumerable  dances.  They 
charge  from  two  to  three  dollars  per  hour  for  their 
services.  A  student  is  each  year  appointed  to  ring 
the  University  chime,  a  position  to  which  both 
salary  and  prestige  attaches.  Again,  student  offi- 
cers of  the  cadet  corps  receive  salaries  that  may  be 
as  high  as  several  hundred  dollars  yearly.  Upper- 
class  students  do  some  tutoring,  at  from  two  to 
three  dollars  per  hour,  though  most  of  this  falls  to 
graduate  students.  About  fifty  undergraduates 
are  employed  in  the  work  of  instruction  with  the 
title  of  student  assistant,  and  are  paid  from  one  to 
five  hundred  dollars  per  year.  These  men  prepare 
and  arrange  laboratory  materials,  operate  stereop- 
ticons,  and  grade  reports  and  examination  papers. 
Before  the  war  many  students  were  engaged  in 
business  enterprises.  There  were  boarding-houses 
and  cafeterias  under  student  management,  one 
cafeteria  was  cooperatively  owned  by  students. 
Individual  students  owned  and  operated  stores, 
a  floral  shop  and  a  barber  shop  have  been  included 
in  the  number.  The  most  common  device  of  the 
student  founders  to  insure  the  permanency  of  such 
enterprises  is  to  organize  the  business  on  a  com- 
petitive basis.  Students  from  successive  entering 
classes  are  given  places  in  the  management  as  a 
reward  for  the  best  showing   made   in   business 


262  Concerning  Cornell 

getting  and  other  competitions  organized  to  per- 
mit of  a  demonstration  of  general  usefulness.  This 
scheme  is  particularly  adaptable  to  agency  busi- 
nesses, of  which  the  laundry  agencies  are  the 
most  conspicuously  successful.  Much  student 
laundry  is  shipped  to  large  laundries  in  neigh- 
boring cities.  A  considerable  force  is  needed  by 
each  agency  to  solicit  accounts  from  the  entering 
students  in  fall,  and  during  the  year,  to  gather  up 
the  bags  of  laundry  each  week,  to  deliver  the  pack- 
ages of  freshened  linen  and  to  collect  the  bills.  For 
such  services  the  competitors  are  paid  a  fixed  wage 
and  the  most  industrious  and  successful  of  their 
number  is  made  assistant  manager  in  his  junior 
year,  and  becomes  the  manager  in  his  senior  year. 
The  assistant  manager  and  manager  share  the 
profits  of  the  enterprise,  which  amount  in  some 
cases  to  several  thousands  of  dollars  annually.  Stu- 
dent rooming  agencies,  one  of  which  is  now  official- 
ly recognized  by  the  university  authorities,  and  acts 
under  their  supervision  in  locating  new  students  in 
congenial  quarters,  are  conducted  on  similar  lines. 
One  man  earned  eight  hundred  dollars  more  than 
his  expenses  during  his  college  career  in  purely  com- 
mercial enterprises.  The  Ithaca  Gun  Company 
uses  the  free  afternoons  of  some  fifty  undergrad- 
uates who  have  mechanical  skill,  at  high  pay  and 
finds  their  labor  particularly  efficient.  No  statis- 
tics are  available,  but  it  is  a  safe  estimate  that  at 
least  five  or  six  hundred  Cornell  students  are  each 
year  earning  all  or  part  of  their  expenses  in  term 
time. 


Student  Activities  263 

Self-help  is  a  student  activity  in  the  sense  that 
it  requires  much  energy  that  might  be  devoted  to 
scholastic  duties,  but  it  is  a  means  to  an  end,  the 
attainment  of  a  university  education,  and  as  such 
the  individual  seldom  permits  it  to  interfere  with 
his  principal  purpose  except  perhaps  in  such  in- 
stances where  the  financial  returns  are  so  large  as 
to  overshadow  completely  the  original  motive.  But 
the  term  student  activities,  in  the  sense  in  which  it 
is  generally  used,  applies  only  to  the  organized 
enterprises  initiated  and  carried  on  by  large  or  small 
groups  of  undergraduates  as  side  issues,  mainly 
distractions,  from  the  chief  end  of  the  university. 
These  exuberances,  if  such  they  may  be  called,  are 
accorded  recognition  and  a  certain  degree  of  sanction 
and  supervision  by  the  faculty  of  the  university. 
Under  this  category  come  athletics,  student  publi- 
cations, debate  teams;  musical,  dramatic,  intellec- 
tual, sectional,  social  and  honorary  clubs  and 
associations,  and  the  political  organization  of  uni- 
versity classes,  including  the  system  of  class  officers 
and  committees.  The  control  of  the  university 
varies  from  strict  supervision,  with  regard  to  the 
eligibility  of  players  or  performers  and  approval 
of  schedules,  in  the  case  of  organizations  that  rep- 
resent the  university  abroad,  as,  for  instance, 
athletic  teams  and  the  musical  clubs;  to  a  general 
requirement  of  the  maintenance  of  a  satisfactory 
standard  of  scholarship  in  their  studies  and  de- 
cency in  their  print  from  the  editorial  boards  of 
publications.  A  large  number  of  organizations  are 
simply  permitted.    So  long  as  they  do  not  give 


264  Concerning  Cornell 

offense  to  the  community  or  bring  the  university 
into  disrepute,  such  organizations  may  continue  to 
exist  with  practically  no  supervision  on  part  of  the 
general  faculty.  The  university  authorities  do, 
however,  reserve  the  right  to  regulate  or  abolish 
any  association  of  undergraduates  that  may,  in 
their  opinion,  be  prejudicial  to  the  maintenance  of 
a  proper  standard  of  scholarship  or  detrimental  to 
the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  Under  such 
slight  restraints  a  multitudinous  variety  of  organ- 
izations have  sprung  up,  the  total  membership  of 
which  is  large  and  complexly  interwoven.  For  all 
of  these  the  university  is,  in  some  sense,  sponsor. 
The  great  development,  and  the  important  place 
and  influence  these  associations  have  in  Cornell 
student  life  is,  no  doubt,  owing  in  large  measure 
to  the  fact  that  Cornell,  only,  of  all  the  large 
American  universities  is  located  in  a  small  com- 
munity, distinctly  remote  from  any  large  popula- 
tion center.  Since  the  varied  places  to  go,  and  the 
many  things  to  do,  that  are  available  in  a  big  city 
are  not  to  be  found  at  Cornell,  the  students  must, 
of  necessity,  in  large  measure  provide  their  own 
distractions.  This  accounts  for  the  remarkable 
number  of  undergraduate  organizations  and  the 
great  interest  in  such  affiliations  at  Cornell. 

While  the  great  development  of  student  activi- 
ties finds  its  reason  in  the  conditions  stated  above, 
it  should  be  noted  further  that  their  existence  is 
justified  by  undergraduates  on  altogether  different 
grounds.  Their  functions,  as  conceived  by  the 
average  student,  are,  first,  to  advertise  the  institu- 


Student  Activities  265 

tion,  second  to  promote  community  interest,  loyal- 
ty and  pride  in  the  alma  mater,  and  third,  and 
possibly  most  important,  to  supplement  the  courses 
of  instruction  (largely  theory  in  undergraduate 
opinion)  with  opportunities  for  participation  in 
practical  affairs,  conducted  on  the  same  competi- 
tive basis  that  is  in  effect  in  the  business  world. 
Student  activities,  moreover,  furnish  a  means  for 
acquiring  prestige,  the  fame  of  being  a  prominent 
student  and,  consequently,  a  reputation  for  lead- 
ership among  one's  fellows. 

As  the  resources  of  the  university  are  hardly 
adequate  to  provide  for  the  large  enrollment  of  the 
past  few  years,  it  would  seem  that  advertisement  to 
attract  still  greater  numbers,  without  also  securing 
a  greater  endowment,  is  not  a  great  help.  If  the 
advertising  is  thought  of  as  a  proclamation  of 
Cornell's  facilities  for  students  who  need  her  train- 
ing, it  can,  indeed,  be  defended,  and  if,  further, 
it  is  an  aid  in  securing  benefactions  the  advertise- 
ment the  institution  gets  from  student  activities 
may  be  well  worth  while.  It  is  also  true,  no  doubt, 
that  the  various  organizations  do  much  to  promote 
community  interest.  The  other  two  ideas,  that  of 
supplementing  university  instruction  by  practical 
training  and  the  acquirement  of  college  honors 
have,  however,  the  chief  place  in  student  imagina- 
tion. It  will  serve  for  better  understanding  to  de- 
fer discussion  of  this  point  of  view  until  after  a 
survey  has  been  made  of  the  extent  and  ramifica- 
tions of  the  student-activities  world. 

First  may  be  considered  a  number  of  clubs  and 


266  Concerning  Cornell 

associations  that  come  into  a  single  general  class 
because  they  are  in  many  cases  promoted  by  the 
faculty,  and  have,  as  a  rule,  some  intellectual 
purpose.  These  are,  perhaps,  the  least  typical  of 
the  student  activities.  In  general  their  names  will 
indicate  their  scope.  Thus  we  have  the  Ethics 
Club,  the  Cornell  University  Flying  Club,  the 
Poultry  Association,  the  Cornell  Civic  Club,  the 
Rifle  Club,  the  Agassiz  Club,  the  Chess  Club,  the 
Cornell  Forestry  Club,  the  Cornell  Masonic  Club, 
Le  Cercle  Francais,  the  British-American  Club, 
the  Cornell  Menorah  Society,  and  the  Pomology 
Club.  This  list  is  not  altogether  inclusive  and 
some  of  those  mentioned  may  not  have  survived 
the  war.  Membership  in  these  is  open,  as  a  rule, 
to  all  undergraduates  on  either  application,  expres- 
sion of  interest,  proficiency  or  avowal  of  similar 
affiliations,  though  in  some  cases  it  depends  on 
election.  The  honorary  scholarship  societies,  Phi 
Beta  Kappa,  Sigma  Xi  (science)  Tau  Beta  Pi 
(engineering)  and  the  newly  established  Phi  Kappa 
Phi,  general  scholarship  society,  are  akin  to  these 
in  one  sense,  but  membership  is  attained  only  by 
election  and  depends  on  a  high  standing  in  the 
several  studies  and  promise  of  achievement  in 
research.  A  third  class  of  societies  is  comprised  of 
the  various  sectional  clubs.  In  general  these  also 
are  described  by  their  names,  as:  The  Southerners, 
the  Dixie  Club,  the  Maryland  Club,  the  Adiron- 
dack Club,  Exeter  Club,  Hill  School  Club,  Cornell 
Chicago  Club,  Rocky  Mountain  Club,  Latin  Amer- 
ican Club,  Culver  Club,  and  Chinese  Students' 


Student  Activities  267 

Club.  The  Senators  are  Washingtonians,  Scalp 
and  Blade  members  hail  from  Buffalo,  while  those 
in  Mabrique  come,  presumably,  from  the  boroughs 
of  Manhattan,  Brooklyn,  Bronx,  Richmond  and 
Queens,  note  the  composite  name. 

The  fact  of  residence  in  a  locality  represented 
by  a  sectional  club  as  a  rule  entitles  any  under- 
graduate to  membership  in  the  organization,  but 
in  some  cases  he  may  join  only  on  invitation  from 
those  already  members.  The  sectional  clubs,  in 
which  the  latter  provision  is  effective,  might  per- 
haps better  be  classed  with  the  so-called  social 
clubs,  in  all  of  which  membership  is  by  election. 
Of  the  social  clubs  it  will  suffice  to  suggest  some- 
thing of  their  nature  by  listing  the  names :  Book 
and  Bowl,  Manuscript,  Sunday  Night  Club,  Beth 
L'Amed  (Mummy  Club),  Ma  jura  and  Scroll  and 
Spade.  Several  of  these  have  been  characterized 
as  little  more  than  mutual-admiration  societies. 
Slightly  different,  again,  is  the  Cornell  chapter  of 
Sigma  Delta  Chi,  professional  journalistic  frater- 
nity. One  of  the  principal  functions  of  this  organ- 
ization is  to  stage  an  annual  dinner,  considered 
the  most  recherche  of  such  affairs  in  the  Cornell 
year. 

Certain  of  the  societies  listed  in  the  above  para- 
graphs are  open  to  both  men  and  women  students, 
but  in  most  cases  only  men  are  eligible  for  mem- 
bership. Accordingly,  there  are  also  a  number  of 
wholly  feminine  associations,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  Cornell  Women's  Dramatic  Club, 
Sports  and  Pastimes  Association,  Mortar  Board, 


268  Concerning  Cornell 

Raven  and  Serpent,  and  Sedowa. 

In  the  sense  that  all  these  clubs  and  associa- 
tions exist  for  and  because  of  the  university  and  not 
it  for  them,  and  in  that  they  do,  in  some  measure, 
reflect  the  life  of  the  community  outside  the  class- 
room, they  come  under  the  classification  of  student 
activities.  But  they  belie  this  grouping  in  that  the 
activities  of  their  members  are  not  on  the  whole 
very  strenuous.  Their  membership  lists  are  made 
up  by  application  or  invitation  to  join,  while  in 
the  typical  student  activity  participation  results 
from  competition  and  achievement.  Physical 
prowess,  musical  or  dramatic  ability,  business  en- 
terprise, and  facility  with  pen  and  pencil  are  each 
made  the  measure  of  eligibility  for  one  or  several 
branches  of  student  organizations  that  require  ac- 
tual performance  on  part  of  the  individuals  in 
them.  These  competitive  organizations  are  also 
more  representative  in  that  any  undergraduate  is 
free  to  enter  their  contests  and  try  outs  on  his 
own  initiative. 

In  support  of  the  undergraduate  contention 
that  student  activities  are  worth  while  because 
they  supplement  the  training  offered  by  the  uni- 
versity with  productive  experience,  the  field  of 
student  publications  could  probably  be  cited  most 
convincingly  as  an  example.  In  striving  to  be- 
come identified  with  the  management  of  the  more 
successful  of  these  enterprises  the  student  com- 
petitors have  a  double  incentive,  the  prestige  that 
is  acquired  by  a  position  on  their  staffs  and  the 
monetary  reward.  Probably  the  honor  attached  to 


Student  Activities  269 

the  office  is  as  much,  if  not  more,  in  the  minds  of 
the  competitors  than  the  financial  returns,  but  the 
latter  are  by  no  means  of  insignificant  account. 
Thus  the  Cornell  Daily  Sun,  the  student  morning 
newspaper,  carries  about  one  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  advertising  in  an  average  daily  issue.  It 
may  be  estimated  that  its  yearly  revenue  from  ad- 
vertising and  subscriptions  amounts  to  thirty  thou- 
sand or  more  dollars.  Each  year  two  freshmen 
and  two  sophomore  competitions  are  held  to  fill 
the  places  on  its  staff  made  vacant  by  graduation 
and  other  causes.  The  one  open  to  freshmen  in 
October  for  editorial  positions  is  typical  of  all  the 
competitions  for  places  on  the  publications  and  its 
conditions  may,  therefore,  be  stated  in  illustration 
of  their  nature.  The  contest  extends  over  a 
period  of  approximately  seven  weeks  and  is 
divided  into  a  preliminary  and  final  part.  The 
preliminary  part  occupies  about  two  weeks  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  the  more  promising 
candidates  are  started  once  more  on  an  equal 
footing  for  the  remaining  period.  At  the  end  of 
the  competition  the  one  man  most  acceptable  to 
the  existing  board  is  given  a  permanent  position 
on  the  staff.  This  carries  with  it  also  the  possi- 
bility of  election  to  the  position  of  editor-in-chief, 
or  of  managing  editor  at  the  end  of  the  junior  year. 
The  success  of  a  candidate  is  measured  in  part  by 
the  amount  of  acceptable  local  news  he  turns  in, 
but  his  initiative  and  personality,  as  judged  by  the 
men  already  elected  to  permanent  positions,  have 
considerable  significance  in  the  final  choice.     In 


270  Concerning  Cornell 

competitions  for  places  on  the  business  manage- 
ment the  work  consists  in  securing  subscriptions, 
selling  advertising  space  and  collecting  moneys 
due  the  paper,  and  the  candidate  who  shows, 
again  according  to  the  judgment  of  the  existing 
board,  the  greatest  business  ability  and  enterprise 
is  adjudged  the  winner.  As  on  the  editorial  side 
the  posts  of  business  manager  and  circulation  man- 
ager are  held  by  seniors.  Fifty-eight  freshmen 
entered  a  recent  editorial  competition,  which  gives 
some  suggestion  of  the  degree  of  interest  shown  in 
these  trials. 

As  a  college  newspaper  the  Cornell  Daily  Sun 
undoubtedly  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  country. 
Its  articles  on  student  affairs  are  usually  quite  ac- 
curate and  newsy,  and  its  reports  of  academic 
occasions,  such  as  university  lectures,  in  recent 
years  are  a  notable  improvement  on  the,  before 
the  event,  speaker's  statement  it  had  been  the 
custom  to  publish.  But  there  is  still  opportunity 
to  develop  further  the  news  interest  of  these 
intellectual  events.  What  the  four  thousand  sub- 
scribers of  the  Sun  would  like  to  read  about  these 
lectures  is:  What  did  the  undergraduate  reporter 
think  of  them,  was  he  interested  and  impressed  or 
bored  and  irritated,  and  why?  The  great  difficulty 
of  securing  and  writing  numerous  such  stories  is, 
however,  that  it  would  entail  an  enormous  amount 
of  underclass  "compet"  time  being  spent  on  out- 
side activities.  As  it  is  the  faculty  is  com- 
plaining that  the  competitions  are  so  exacting  as 
to  cause  an  almost  complete  neglect  of  studies  on 


Student  Activities  271 

part  of  the  leading  candidates  during  the  period 
of  the  trials.  If  this  condition  endures  the  whole 
system  may  come  under  faculty  ban.  More 
competitors  must  be  secured  or  the  situation  met 
and  remedied  by  creation  of  numerically  much 
stronger,  permanent,  "reportorial"  and  business 
staffs  composed  of  sophomores,  juniors  and  seniors, 
all  sharing  in  the  prestige  and  more  tangible  per- 
quisites of  the  organization  and  having  a  voice  in 
the  election  of  the  senior  chiefs.  Such  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  staff  would  serve  also  to  eliminate,  in 
part,  oligarchical  and  persona  grata  tendencies  in 
the  management  of  which  complaint  is  heard  from 
time  to  time.  A  much  greater  number  of  under- 
graduates would  also  receive  something  more  sub- 
stantial than  "the  experience' '  and  the  "thanks  of 
the  staff"  in  return  for  their  efforts  during  the 
competitions. 

Competition  for  places  on  the  business  staffs 
of  the  other  Cornell  student  publications  that  have 
a  wide  circulation  are  equally  strenuous  with  re- 
spect to  the  amount  of  time  they  require.  But  it 
should  be  noted  that  the  Sun  places  all  its  profits, 
in  excess  of  modest  salaries,  into  a  sinking  fund 
for  the  eventual  establishment  of  a  university 
press,  and  the  board  of  the  Cornell  Widow,  the 
comic  semi-monthly,  recently  voted  to  pay  all  its 
profits  into  the  university  for  a  similar  purpose. 
Artists  and  jokesmiths  find  places  on  the  Widow's 
staff. 

In  1920  the  Widow  carried  off  all  honors  in  a 
contest  for  college  wits  conducted  by  one  of  the 


272  Concerning  Cornell 

leading  humorous  weeklies  of  the  country.  The 
Cornell  Era  was,  in  1924,  superseded  by  a  pictorial 
sheet.  The  Era  was  the  earliest  of  Cornell  student 
publications;  founded,  as  Chancellor  Jordan,  Cor- 
nell '72,  recently  said,  because  the  student  body 
of  that  time  felt  that  a  new  era  in  education 
had  started  with  the  opening  of  Cornell.  In  those 
days  the  Era  had  a  literary  flavor,  a  field  it  had 
quite  completely  given  up  later  in  favor  of  timely 
articles  on  student  affairs.  There  were  formerly, 
also,  two  annual  publications,  The  Cornellian, 
published  first  by  the  fraternity  group  and  later 
by  the  junior  class,  and  the  Cornell  Class  Book, 
containing  the  record  of  the  senior  class.  These 
volumes  are  now  combined  into  one  publication 
issued  by  a  joint  board  comprising  the  "Cornell 
Annuals,  Inc.,"  places  on  which  are  now,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  other  publications,  filled  by  compe- 
tition. The  pages  of  The  Cornellian  comprise  a 
catalog  of  the  personnel  of  faculties,  upper  classes, 
fraternities,  clubs,  athletic  teams,  boards  of  pub- 
lications and  committees,  together  with  a  general 
record  of  the  year's  events.  There  are  also  por- 
traits of  every  member  of  the  senior  class.  The 
new  pictorial  magazine,  the  Cornell  Graphic,  is  a 
Cornellian  replica  of  the  illustrated  supplement  of 
a  Sunday  newspaper. 

Other  student  publications  have  each  their 
special  circle  of  readers  as  indicated  by  their  titles : 
The  Cornell  Countryman,  the  Sibley  Journal  of 
Engineering,  The  Cornell  Law  Quarterly,  The 
Cornell  Chemist  and  The  Cornell  Forester.    The 


Student  Activities 


273 


first  two  are  issued  each  month,  two  are  quarter- 
lies, the  last  is  an  annual.  Though  not  an  under- 
graduate venture  in  any  sense,  the  Cornell  Alumni 
News  needs  to  be  mentioned  here  to  complete  the 
roll  of  publications  that  reflect  student  life  in  some 
measure.  As  many  as  twTo  hundred  different  stu- 
dents are  at  work  on  these  publications  at  some 
time  during  the  year  and 
over  one  hundred  men 
are  regularly  on  their 
staffs  for  the  whole  of 
the  college  terms. 

In  the  student  pub- 
lications undergraduates 
have  an  opportunity  to 
voice  their  opinions  on  a 
variety  of  matters.  De- 
bate associations  had  a 
quite  prominent  place 
among  student  activities 
in  earlier  years,  but  they 
have  since  suffered  con- 
siderable decline.  A  Debate  Council  still  exists 
with  machinery  for  arranging  intercollegiate  de- 
bate meets  with  Pennsylvania,  Columbia  and 
other  colleges  and  for  selecting  the  teams  that 
represent  Cornell  in  these  contests,  but  the  debates 
themselves  evoke  comparatively  slight  enthusiasm. 
A  number  of  young  orators  try  for  places  on  the 
several  Debate  Stages,  contests  for  university 
prizes  founded  in  the  period  when  debate  had 
more  importance  as  an  undergraduate  activity. 


274  Concerning  Cornell 

Dramatic  organizations  are  in  a  more  flourish- 
ing condition.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
Masque  which  devotes  its  energies  generally  to  the 
production  of  one  or  two  farces  or  musical  comedies 
during  the  year,  though  occasionally  more  serious 
plays  are  undertaken.  To  qualify  for  membership 
the  undergraduate  must  be  able  to  entertain  in  the 
manner  of  professional  vaudevillists.  There  is  also 
a  Dramatic  Club  which  recognizes  histrionic  talent 
of  the  legitimate  order  and  each  year  stages  a  num- 
ber of  meritorious  productions.  In  addition  to 
these  general  organizations  several  societies,  whose 
activities  are  allied  with  those  of  the  modern  lan- 
guage departments  occasionally  choose  casts  from 
among  their  members  to  present  plays  in  foreign 
languages,  sometimes  on  a  quite  elaborate  scale. 
The  Cornell  Savage  Club,  the  only  branch  of  a 
famous  original  dramatic  society  of  the  same  name 
in  London,  though  not  an  undergraduate  organi- 
zation primarily,  each  year  elects  a  number  of 
students  to  membership.  Its  productions  are  like 
those  of  the  Masque,  perhaps  even  more  frivolous, 
but  the  Savage  Club  has  also  a  social  side.  Quite 
frequently  its  members  entertain  prominent  pro- 
fessional actors  who  appear  at  the  local  theatres. 

While  the  combined  membership  of  the  two 
general  dramatic  societies  consists  of  about  ninety 
undergraduates  there  are,  in  the  musical  organi- 
zations of  similar  scope,  the  Cornell  Glee  Club,  the 
Cornell  Mandolin  Club,  the  Cornell  Band  and  the 
Cornell  Orchestra,  more  than  two  hundred  men 
enrolled.     This  larger  membership  list,  and  the 


Student  Activities  275 

esteem  in  which  membership  in  the  first  two  of  the 
organizations  mentioned  is  held,  are  in  part  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  Glee  and  Mandolin  Clubs  make 
an  extended  concert  tour  during  the  Christmas  va- 
cation. Usually  performances  are  given  in  seven  or 
eight  large  cities  during  this  trip  and  the  clubs  have 
traveled  as  far  west  as  Denver.  Only  a  selected 
number  from  the  whole  membership  can  be  taken 
on  the  tour  and,  as  the  clubs  are  quite  lavishly  en- 
tertained with  receptions,  dances  and  smokers  by 
the  alumni  resident  in  the  different  cities  visited, 
there  is  naturally  a  keen  rivalry  to  make  the  trip. 
Consequently  each  member  of  these  organizations 
is  careful  not  to  miss  practices  and  rehearsals.  The 
University  Orchestra  has  an  endowment  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  provided  in  his  will 
by  the  late  G.  W.  Hinlsley,  '15,  the  income  from 
which  is  used  for  equipment,  and  for  scholarships 
to  which  only  members  of  the  organization  are 
eligible.  In  addition  to  the  out  of  town  concerts  of 
the  Glee  and  Mandolin  Clubs,  there  are  also  a 
number  of  public  appearances  of  all  four  of  the 
general  musical  organizations  during  term  time  in 
Ithaca.  A  Festival  Chorus,  largely  made  up  of 
undergraduates,  is  trained  almost  every  year,  and 
a  separate  college  organization,  the  Agricultural 
Glee  Club,  has  also  been  maintained. 

Whatever  the  relative  status  of  the  other  organ- 
ized student  activities  there  can  be  no  question 
but  that  athletics  leads  them  all  in  popularity. 
It  might,  perhaps,  be  fair  to  say  that  the  popular- 
ity of  a  student  activity  is  in  inverse  ratio  of  its 


276  Concerning  Cornell 

intellectual  interest.  In  any  event  only  members 
attend  Glee  Club  rehearsals  while  many  under- 
graduates keep  faithful  watch  of  the  football  prac- 
tices. Not  that  athletic  interest  centers  exclusive- 
ly on  football.  Crew,  track,  and  cross-country  run- 
ning are  other  major  sports,  and  the  minor  sports, 
basket-ball,  lacrosse,  hockey,  fencing,  wrestling, 
swimming,  soccer,  tennis  and  golf  have  each  a 
number  of  followers.  The  training  in  riding  afford- 
ed and  the  presence  of  the  horses 
needed  by  the  artillery  unit  of  the 
cadet  corps  have  given  opportunity 
for  the  organization  of  a  polo  team. 
Probably  as  many  as  five  hundred  dif- 
ferent students  try  hard  each  year  to 
secure  a  place  on  some  one  of  the  var- 
sity squads  and  possibly  half  this  num- 
ber are  retained  for  the  season  and 
give  from  two  to  three  hours  of  their 
time  each  day,  sometimes  for  three  months  in  suc- 
cession, to  practice  and  taking  part  in  the  events. 
For  the  major  sports  training  tables  are  main- 
tained and  the  men  who  are  privileged  to  eat  at 
these  boards  must  live  the  simple  life.  They  are 
not  supposed  to  smoke,  go  to  the  theatre  or  stay 
out  late  at  night.  Even  soft  drinks  are  denied 
them.  They  are  urged  to  find  time  and  energy  to 
keep  up  with  their  studies,  though  this,  except 
for  men  of  unusual  capabilities,  is  a  difficult  mat- 
ter. Physical  exercise  in  moderate  doses  is  a  re- 
laxation from  mental  effort  and  gives  stimulus  to 
further  studious  activitv.    But  the  football  and 


Student  Activities  277 

crew  men  draw  far  more  deeply  than  that  on  the 
store  of  energy  possessed  by  the  average  man.  The 
Cornell  faculties,  on  their  part,  can  see  no  good 
reason  for  permitting  an  athlete  to  secure  the 
Cornell  degree  without  his  keeping  up  to  the  stand- 
ard of  scholarship  required  of  other  students.  It 
follows  that  the  man  who  makes  the  football  team, 
or  the  varsity  crew,  and  is  also  graduated  at  the  end 
of  four  years,  must  be  the  possessor  of  unusual 
ability  and  energy.  As  a  near  approach  to  the 
ideal,  all-round,  man  he  commands  the  admiration 
of  both  faculty  and  students. 

In  view  of  the  elaborate  scale  on  which  inter- 
collegiate athletics  are  now  conducted,  with  con- 
tests in  distant  cities,  gate  receipts  of  large  figures, 
and  much  paraphernalia  for  each  sport,  it  is  not 
surprising  to  find  that  a  manager  and  assistant 
manager  is  required  for  each  team.  It  is  the  busi- 
ness of  these  men  to  care  for  clothing  and  proper- 
ties, to  arrange  for  transportation  and  attend  to 
all  the  routine  work  connected  with  the  various 
contests.  Similar  positions  are  part  of  the  organ- 
izations of  the  musical  clubs  and  the  Masque. 
These  men  work  under  the  supervision  of  a  grad- 
uate manager,  a  salaried  official  employed  by  the 
Athletic  Association.  The  undergraduate  manager 
in  each  branch  is  a  senior,  his  assistant  a  junior, 
and  under  them  are  two  sophomore  and  freshman 
competitors,  each  one  striving  to  prove  himself 
worthy  of  succession  to  office  in  his  upper-class 
years.  These  rivals  carry  water,  hold  blankets,  sell 
tickets,  try  to  be  always  on  the  job.   It  is  a  curious 


278  Concerning  Cornell 

sort  of  perversion  that  at  an  institution  of  higher 
learning  there  should  be  active  rivalry  in  almost 
everything  except  the  acquirement  of  knowledge. 
There  are,  however,  several  phases  of  student 
activities  that  do  not  come  directly  under  the 
competitive  system.  The  class  honorary  societies, 
for  instance,  are  self  perpetuating.  But  as  these 
societies  usually  confer  membership  on  the  basis  of 
particular  distinction  in  other  student  activities, 
they  are  in  effect  the  ultimate  goal  of  the  various 
competitors.  To  them  are  elected  the  star  athletes, 
the  editors-in-chief  of  publications,  the  business 
managers  of  various  enterprises  including  those  of 
the  musical  and  dramatic  clubs,  as  well  as  the 
leading  performers.  Sphinx  Head  and  Quill  and 
Dagger  are  senior  societies,  Aleph  Samach  is  the 
junior  organization.  Some  of  the  colleges  have 
further  their  own  senior  honorary  societies,  as  for 
example,  Heb-Sa  and  Helios  in  the  College  of  Ag- 
riculture. Although  these  associations  are  self  per- 
petuating, their  elections  generally  meet  with  the 
approval  of  the  men  particularly  interested.  The 
two  senior  societies  wield  a  considerable  influence, 
though  this  has  latterly  been  made  effective 
through  the  agency  of  a  Student  Council,  which 
now  exercises  supreme  control  over  all  branches  of 
undergraduate  activity  and  is  an  elective  body. 
The  senior  societies  themselves  were  accepted,  for- 
merly, as  the  supreme  arbiters  and  mentors  in 
student  affairs  and  any  project  that  did  not  meet 
with  their  approval  was  taboo.  As  these  societies 
are  at  the  apex  of  the  student  activities  system, 


Student  Activities  279 

they  can  usually  make  their  rulings  effective  with 
those  most  concerned  and,  having  the  student  pub- 
lications under  control,  initiate  such  movements  or 
spread  such  opinions  as  they  feel  are  worth  while. 
The  "Red  Key"  dispenses  hospitality  to  visiting 
athletic  teams  and  has  thirty  juniors,  the  president 
of  the  Savage  Club  and  the  head  cheer  leader  as 
its  members. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  practically  all  the  acri- 
monious debate  in  the  student  world  centers  about 
the  one  phase  of  undergraduate  life  that  is  not 
directly  subject  to  the  competitive  system,  namely 
class  politics.  Class  members  of  the  Student  Council 
are  selected  by  ballot.  The  contests  formerly 
centered  about  the  office  of  the  class  president, 
as  that  person  once  had  a  considerable  patronage 
to  bestow.  This  consisted,  primarily,  in  the 
appointment  of  committees  to  take  charge  of  the 
dances,  banquets,  rallies  and  other  occasions  that 
come  under  class  auspices.  As  committee  positions 
afforded  considerable  self  advertisement,  without 
necessitating  the  expenditure  of  great  effort  or  the 
display  of  special  ability,  they  were  much  sought 
after.  It  was,  for  instance,  particularly  nice  to  be 
in  the  lime-light  during  Junior  Week,  when  fair 
guests  perused  dance  and  other  programs  and  as- 
sumed that  the  committee  lists  were  made  up  of 
the  prominent  men  of  the  class.  In  former  years 
a  committee  position  also  often  insured  quite  val- 
uable perquisites,  as,  for  example,  gold  watch  fobs 
as  souvenirs  of  the  occasion  bought  with  part  of 
the  proceeds.    This  has  been  wholly  done  away 


280  Concerning  Cornell 

with.  All  accounts  are  now  audited  and  any  bal- 
ance  put  in  the  class  treasury.  But  it  may  readily 
be  perceived  how  the  prejudice  against  general  elec- 
tive and  appointive  officers  arose,  and  why  each 
year  there  were  accusations  of  ring  politics  with 
"letters  to  the  editor"  and  the  proposal  of  various 
schemes  to  counteract  the  tendency  to  fill  com- 
mittee lists  with  the  names  of  friends  and  hench- 
men. Appointments  tending  to  greater  efficiency 
in  committee  work  seems  to  be  the  reform  most 
desired.  In  the  interest  of  efficiency  there  has  been 
much  agitation  that  the  number  of  men  on  each 
committee  be  greatly  reduced.  Yet  several  years 
ago  no  fewer  than  three  hundred  and  seventy 
names  appeared  in  a  total  of  twenty-four  commit- 
tees. One-third  the  number,  no  doubt,  could  have 
attended  much  better  to  all  the  business. 

The  titles  of  these  committees  suggest  their 
scope  and  purposes.  There  exist  the  Student 
Council,  a  Freshman  Advisory  Committee,  com- 
mittees on  Senior  Ball,  Senior  Banquet,  Class 
Day,  Alumni  Pledge,  Convocation  Hour,  Junior 
Promenade,  Junior  Smoker,  Sophomore  Cotillion, 
Sophomore  Smoker,  Sophomore  Rush,  Freshman 
Banquet,  Freshman  Cap-Burning  and  Spring  Day. 
The  Student  Council  now  has  greatest  impor- 
tance. This  committee  formulates  the  rules  for 
freshmen  and  acts  as  intermediary  between  the 
faculty  and  student  body  on  matters  concerning 
student  governance  and  deportment.  The  pledge 
of  the  Student  Council  committee,  that  a  given 
evil  will  be  abated,  is  usually  considered  the  end 


Student  Activities  281 

of  such  a  difficulty.  The  Council  also  names  all 
the  undergraduate  committees;  its  mandates  gen- 
erally are  respected  by  the  classmen. 

Membership  in  a  club,  the  winning  of  a  place 
on  the  editorial  or  business  staff  of  a  publication, 
making  an  athletic  or  debate  team,  election  to  a 
musical  or  dramatic  club,  election  to  class  office, 
appointment  to  committee  positions  are  each  and 
all  "student  honors."  Every  such  achievement, 
and  some  not  enumerated,  is  marked  by  the  con- 
ferring of  a  diploma  certifying  to  the  fact.  This 
practice  has  given  origin  to  the  "Order  of  Shingle 
Hunters."  To  belong,  one  must  be  able  to  point 
to  at  least  so  much  space  as  one  side  of  a  room  dec- 
orated with  nicely  lettered  sheep  skins,  properly 
ornamented  with  seals  and  tastefully  framed;  sig- 
nifying a  wide  connection  with  student  activities. 
It  would  be  difficult  for  an  outsider  to  conceive 
how  much  of  a  fetish  the  acquirement  of  a  variety 
of  such  tokens  has  come  to  be  among  a  certain 
element  of  the  undergraduate  body.  Indeed  the 
acquisition  of  its  diploma  is  often  of  greater  import 
to  the  shingle  hunter  than  the  in- 
terest of  the  particular  activity. 
In  a  word,  the  possessor  of  a  num- 
ber of  the  more  coveted  of  these 
certificates  considers  himself  one 
of  the  elect  in  the  student  world. 

It  still  remains  to  give  some 
account  of  the  student  observ- 
ances, as  those  functions,  social 
and  agglomerate,  that  give  most  of 


282  Concerning  Cornell 

the  committees  an  excuse  for  existence  may  be 
collectively  termed.  Certain  of  them  afford  spec- 
tacles at  once  picturesque  and  interesting,  the  lat- 
ter because  of  the  sidelights  they  throw  on  student 
life.  Others,  as  suggested  above,  are  merely  ag- 
glomerative,  consist  of  devices  for  getting  a  crowd 
together  in  the  interest  of  some  special  enthusiasm. 
Still  others  are  of  a  purely  social  character,  dances 
for  the  entertainment  of  guests  and  the  banquets 
of  the  various  classes. 

Of  the  banquets  little  need  be  said  except  that 
they  promote  democracy  and  that  the  modern  or- 
der has  finally  ended  the  serving  of  alcoholic  bev- 
erages at  Cornell  student  gatherings  of  this  nature. 
Once  upon  a  time  the  Senior  Banquet  was  apt  to 
be  an  uproariously  wet  occasion.  But  even  before 
prohibition  was  enforced  there  was  an  agitation 
against  the  custom  of  treating  and  drinking;  ac- 
cordingly, it  came  to  be  the  affair  of  the  individual 
rather  than  of  the  student  community  or  any 
definite  group  in  it.  The  various  stunts,  smokers, 
crew  and  football  celebrations  are  "get  together" 
occasions  at  which  athletic  prospects  are  discussed, 
past  victories  and  defeats  reviewed.  At  the  Junior 
Smoker  it  is  the  custom  to  make  formal  presenta- 
tion of  the  varsity  letter  and  class  numerals  to  the 
athletic  stars  of  the  various  teams.  This  is  the 
great  athletic  meeting  of  the  year.  There  are, 
however,  more  such  athletic  rallies  during  the  year 
than  the  committee  list  indicates,  in  fact  it  would 
seem  that  they  are  filled  into  practically  every 
dull  interval.    At  each  of  them  the  coaches,  cap- 


Student  Activities  283 

tains  and  managers  exhort  the  undergraduates  to 
be  loyal  to  the  teams,  to  search  out  promising  men 
for  each  sport  and  to  encourage  such  men  to  enter 
the  competitions.  It  does  not  require  much  ora- 
tory to  fire  enthusiasm  at  such  gatherings  and 
they  are  usually  marked  by  overflow  attendance. 
During  term  time  university  dances  are  con- 
fined to  "All  Cornell  Hops"  at  the  Armory  and 
the  invitation  affairs  of  various  organizations. 
But  two  great  events  of  this  nature,  the  Junior 
Promenade  and  the  Sophomore  Cotillion,  were  the 
central  features  of  Junior  Week,  which  occupies 
the  interval  between  the  first  and  second  terms. 
These  big  dances  were  held  in  the  Armory,  which 
in  recent  years  had  been  crowded  almost  to  suffo- 
cation by  the  dancers,  the  growth  of  the  universi- 
ty having  been  such  that  the  throng  wishing  to 
participate  had  utterly  outgrown  the  accommoda- 
tion afforded  by  the  old  building.  The  erection 
of  the  new  Drill  Hall  with  floor  space  sufficient  for 
the  seating  of  an  audience  of  eight  thousand  has 
relieved  this  congestion  and  has  made  the  Junior 
Promenade  a  truly  wonderful  spectacle.  The  diffi- 
cult problem  of  the  acoustics  has  been  solved  by 
use  of  great  curtained  hangings  and  the  placing 
of  the  orchestras  in  specially  constructed,  raised 
boxes.  As  it  is,  the  picture  of  color,  light  and 
animation  presented  on  each  of  these  occasions  is 
quite  charming.  All  the  bareness  of  the  walls  and 
roof  is  hidden  under  elaborate  canopies  of  ribbons 
and  flowers,  with  a  myriad  of  electric  lights  for  illu- 
mination.  Boxes  for  the  accommodation  of  guests 


284  Concerning  Cornell 

between  dances  extend  completely  around  the 
sides  of  the  room.  While  the  general  effect  remains 
the  same,  the  color  scheme  and  details  of  the  dec- 
orations vary  from  year  to  year;  formerly  the  whole 
arrangement  for  the  Sophomore  Cotillion  was  re- 
moved and  replaced  by  an  en- 
tirely new  setting  for  the 
Junior  Promenade,  although 
the  time  interval  between  the 
close  of  the  Cotillion  and  the 
beginning  of  the  Promenade 
was  only  forty  or  so  hours. 
This  entailed  some  rapid  work 
on  the  part  of  the  decorators. 
The  first  calendar  hour  of 
spring  has  been  ushered  in  by 
much  tinpanning,  catcalling 
and  shooting  of  blank  cart- 
ridges, the  celebrants  appear- 
ing at  the  upper  story  windows 
of  practically  every  fraternity  and  rooming  house 
on  the  hill ;  to  the  intense  aggravation  of  the  local 
police  and  resident  population.  This  making  of  the 
night  hideous  is  a  manifestation  of  the  relief  felt  by 
a  number  of  healthy  young  animals  that  the  long 
repression  of  winter  has  come  to  an  end.  Though 
deferred  to  a  later  date  when  skies  are  sure  to  be 
clear  and  the  air  balmy,  the  official  Spring  Day 
celebration  had  its  inception  in  a  like  feeling, 
though  its  original  significance  was  almost  at  once 
lost  to  sight  because  of  the  ends  the  occasion  was 
made  to  serve.    It  is  a  merry  scene  full  of  color. 


Student  Activities  283 

The  present  purpose  of  Spring  Day  is  to  secure 
money,  much  money,  in  a  short  time  and  for  little 
outlay,  to  enrich  the  coffers  of  the  Athletic  Associa- 
tion. For  several  years  now  the  show  has  been 
scheduled  on  the  morning  of  Navy  Day,  an  inter- 
collegiate baseball  game  occupying  the  afternoon 
and  the  annual  regatta  on  Cayuga  the  early  even- 
ing. The  big  day  closes  with  the  Freshman  Cap- 
Burning  on  the  Playground.  All  these  events  on 
one  day  insures  the  presence  of  a  throng  of  out 
of  town  visitors  and  their  contributions  naturally 
do  much  to  swell  the  total  receipts  of  the  Spring 
Day  shows.  The  faculty,  recognizing  the  compel- 
ling demand  of  the  occasion,  has  agreed  to  make  it 
a  holiday.  Something  has  already  been  said  of 
the  nature  of  the  Spring  Day  shows.  Although 
criticism  of  these  offerings  is  perhaps  out  of  place, 
it  may  be  suggested  that  the  spectacles  for  the 
past  two  years  have  not  come  up  to  the  stand- 
ard of  novelty  and  wit  attained  in  former  days. 
Let  the  younger  generation  look  to  its  laurels! 

The  Cap-Burning,  although  it  has  seemed 
a  sort  of  anti-climax  to  a  very  full  day,  never- 
theless deserves  a  word  in  this  account  of  under- 
graduate observances,  for  it  is  a  very  happy  event 
for  the  first  year  men.  On  every  week-day  of  the 
year,  as  student  custom  has  prescribed,  the  fresh- 
men must  wear  the  dingy  gray  caps  that  mark  their 
class.  Than  these,  nothing  more  insignificant  in 
the  way  of  headgear  could  well  be  devised.  It  is 
a  difficult  matter  for  even  the  most  irrepressible 
youngster  to  make  a  jaunty  appearance  with  that 


286  Concerning  Cornell 

cap  on  his  head;  though  it  must  be  confessed  that 
some  come  very  near  achieving  this  seeming  im- 
possibility. When  eventually  the  day  on  which 
they  may  lay  these  marks  of  a  lowly  status  aside 
for  always  comes,  it  follows  that  the  occasion  must 
be  accompanied  by  fitting  ceremony  and  collective 
rejoicing.  Accordingly  a  huge  pyre  of  boxes  and 
barrels  is  built  up  on  the  broad  level  of  the  Play- 
ground. A  huge  effigy  of  the  Freshman  cap  sur- 
mounts the  pile.  A  torch  is  applied  and,  as  the 
flames  begin  to  leap  skyward,  the  whole  freshman 
class  assembles  and  snake  dances  past  the  bonfire, 
each  individual  member  tossing  his  cap  high  onto  the 
glowing  altar,  the  huzzas  of  the  spectators  mingling 
with  the  loud  cries  of  the  freshman  at  the  culmina- 
tion of  the  glad  sacrifice.  Ludicrous  to  be  sure, 
but  at  any  rate  one  of  the  few  rites  among  many 
performed  in  this  world  that  has  not  lost  any  of  its 
significance  for  the  participants. 


CHAPTER  VI 

FRATERNITIES  AT  CORNELL 

THERE  are  some  seventy-odd  Greek  letter  fra- 
ternities and  similarly  organized,  local,  secret 
societies  at  Cornell,  probably  a  greater  number  of 
such  student  associations  than  exists  at  any  other 
American  university.  Nearly  one-half  of  these 
have  been  established  within  the  last  fifteen  years. 
About  one-third  of  the  five  thousand  regular  stud- 
ents in  the  university  are  fraternity  men.  In  ad- 
dition there  are  probably  three  hundred  women  in 
twelve  sororities.    The  rapid  increase  in  the  num- 


ENTRANCE  TO  A  FRATERNITY  LODGE 


28S  Concerning  Cornell 

ber  of  these  societies  has  brought  what  is  rather 
vaguely  termed  the  "fraternity  question,"  at  other 
institutions  in  a  position  perhaps  most  succinct- 
ly presented  by  the  following  sarcastic  quip  from 
the  Cornell  Widow:  "Why  didn't  he  make  a  fra- 
ternity?"— "Because  he  couldn't  get  enough  men 
together."  That  was  not  meant  kindly,  never- 
theless it  reflects  what  has  happened  at  Cornell 
and  what  will  probably  continue  to  happen. 
New  organizations  have  been  many  in  the  past 
decade,  no  doubt  others  will  come  into  existence 
in  the  future  unless  conditions  change.  In  other 
words,  if  the  number  of  fraternities  were  to  be 
doubled  or  tripled,  any  semblance  of  that  phase  of 
the  fraternity  question  would  probably  cease  al- 
together to  exist. 

The  fundamental  reason  why  fraternities  are  so 
essentially  a  part  of  Cornell  student  life,  call  them 
a  necessary  evil  if  you  will,  is  that  the  university 
has  not  during  the  recent  past  provided  dormito- 
ries for  the  men  students.  At  present  several  resi- 
dential halls,  accommodating  about  five  hundred 
men,  are  available  on  the  campus  and  the  erection 
of  others  seems  assured.  But  even  these  accom- 
modations promise  to  do  little  more  than  take  care 
of  the  growth  in  student  population.  Except  as 
men  may  find  a  place  in  the  university  dormitories 
or  become  members  of  a  fraternity,  they  will  need, 
as  in  the  past,  to  shift  for  themselves  in  private 
rooming  and  boarding-houses  about  the  town. 
Because  such  life  is  not  nearly  so  pleasant  in  gen- 
eral, and  does  not  afford  the  social  and  other  oppor- 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  289 

tunities  open  to  the  fraternity  man,  is  why  the 
national  and  local  secret  societies  have,  and  will 
probably  continue  to  flourish  greatly  at  Cornell. 

It  is  immediately  pertinent,  therefore,  to  in- 
quire into  these  advantages  of  membership  in  a 
fraternity.  Of  first  importance  is  the  fact  that 
practically  every  chapter  and  society  owns  or 
leases  its  house  or  lodge,  thus  election  to  member- 
ship in  a  society  insures  congenial  associates.  Con- 
geniality is  the  ultimate  qualification  for  member- 
ship in  any  one  of  these  organizations.  This  does 
not  mean  that  they  are  all  cast  on  the  same  rigid 
lines,  that  a  man  who  would  fit  in  very  well  with 
one  group  of  fellows  would  necessarily  be  equally 
eligible  for  another  group.  Indeed  the  ideals,  am- 
bitions, interests  and  opportunities  of  the  different 
organizations  are  probably  quite  as  diverse  as  the 
elements  of  the  whole  student  body  and  those  run 
nearly  the  whole  gamut  of  human  nature  and 
society.  Nevertheless,  sympathetic  relations  are 
essential  to  the  success  of  any  chapter,  hence  the 
careful  choice  of  men  by  each.  The  fraternity  man 
at  Cornell,  therefore,  is  first  of  all  provided  with  a 
roof  that  he  may  well  call  home  during  his  college 
career,  and  is  assured  of  congenial  companions  dur- 
ing that  time.  He  rooms  and  dines  with  kindred 
spirits.  He  has  a  place  to  entertain  his  friends  and 
relatives  from  home,  where  he  may  keep  them  over 
night  when  they  come  to  visit.  His  hospitality  is 
ably  seconded  by  his  intimate  associates.  He  par- 
ticipates, as  a  member  of  a  recognized  group,  in 
university  social  and  athletic  events:  thus  his  so- 


290  Concerning  Cornell 

ciety  has  a  box  at  the  college  dances ;  is  a  member 
of  the  interfraternity  bowling  and  baseball  leagues. 
Other  advantages  of  a  compact  organization 
naturally  accrue.  Thus  the  upperclassmen  in  a 
house  give  the  freshmen  the  benefit  of  their  ex- 
perience along  various  lines.  They  suggest  what 
phase  of  student  activities  he  may  enter  into  with 
a  chance  of  achieving  distinction:  urge  him  perhaps 
to  take  up  some  branch  of  athletics.  They  can 
help  him  with  his  studies;  in  fact  most  fraternities 
rather  rigidly  supervise  the  university  work  of  their 
underclassmen,  securing  reports  of  their  standing 
frequently  from  the  faculty.  Less  commendable, 
from  the  faculty  viewpoint,  is  the  common  prac- 
tice among  the  chapters  of  keeping  on  file  sets  of 
lecture  notes,  reports  on  experiments  and  labora- 
tory exercises,  as  well  as  sets  of  examination 
questions  in  the  various  courses,  and  making  these 
available  to  the  students  pursuing  such  work. 
While  there  is  nothing  inherently  bad  in  this,  it 
is,  nevertheless,  often  inimical  to  good  scholarship 
in  that  the  student  may  tend  to  depend  on  the 
work  of  his  predecessors  instead  of  doing  it  him- 
self. Thus  he  takes  less  full  notes  at  lectures,  is 
prone  to  be  superficial  in  his  conning  of  lessons, 
and  trusts  to  cramming  on  the  basis  of  previous 
examination  questions  to  pass  up  his  courses.  He 
may,  indeed,  actually  copy  a  report,  though  that 
is  a  dangerous  expedient  and,  because  readily  de- 
tected and  punished  often  with  expulsion  from  the 
university,  is  probably  resorted  to  only  infrequent- 
ly.   Such  helps,  good  or  bad,  are  denied  the  inde- 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  291 

pendent  student.  Since  May  2,  1921,  an  Honor 
System,  administered  by  the  undergraduates,  has 
been  in  effect.  Examinations  are  not  proctored  by 
faculty  members,  and  students  report  frauds  inside 
and  outside  the  class  room. 

Though  only  about  one-third  of  the  under- 
graduates belong  to  fraternities,  their  members 
have  in  recent  years  constituted  nearly  fifty  per 
cent  of  the  number  of  men  dropped  from  the  uni- 
versity at  the  end  of  a  term  because  of  poor 
scholarship.  Moreover,  as  high  as  seventy-five 
per  cent  of  the  upperclassmen  dropped  at  one  time 
have  been  fraternity  men.  This,  however,  is  not 
as  desperate  as  it  appears,  for  the  total  number 
of  men  dropped  at  the  end  of  a  term  has  not  much 
exceeded  one  hundred.  Such  figures  are  probably 
accounted  for  by  another  factor  in  fraternity  life 
that  adversely  affects  scholarship ;  the  opportunity 
and  temptation  to  devote  too  much  time  to  social 
intercourse  and  recreation.  With  a  boon  compan- 
ion or  companions  always  at  hand  it  is  harder  to  re- 
sist the  allurement  of  a  game  of  cards,  or  tennis,  or 
of  an  evening  at  the  theatre.  On  the  other  hand  it 
should  be  said  that  some  fraternities  maintain  a 
high  standard  of  scholarship,  despite  these  counter 
temptations  and  attractions  of  good  fellowship. 

Many  good  people  consider  the  greatest  benefit 
of  a  college  career  to  be  its  social  opportunity. 
That  is  a  quite  common  attitude  among  under- 
graduates. From  the  standpoint  of  the  purpose  of 
the  university,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  an 
eleemosynary  institution,  supported  by  an  endow- 


292  Concerning  Cornell 

ment  provided  solely  for  the  advancement  and 
diffusion  of  knowledge,  one  is  tempted  to  take 
immediate  issue  with  that  conception.  Yet  it 
must  be  admitted  that  these  social,  that  should 
properly  be  only  secondary  advantages  of  a  uni- 
versity career,  are  often  of  preponderating  impor- 
tance in  after  life.  Thus  the  diffident,  uncouth, 
or  perhaps  presumptuous  novitiate,  is  taught  the 
social  graces,  learns  to  meet  people,  acquires  con- 
versational skill  and  is  made  mindful  of  the  rights 
and  personal  idiosyncrasies  of  others.  In  these 
things  he  both  gives  and  takes.  In  his  own  society 
he  acquires,  during  his  four  undergraduate  years, 
a  wide  fraternal  acquaintanceship  and,  if  his  be  a 
chapter  of  a  national  organization,  a  hailing  fellow- 
ship with  a  great  body  of  men  who  will  be  inclined 
to  help  and  stand  by  him  in  the  world  of  business. 
It  has  been  suggested  in  a  previous  paragraph 
that  every  student  sociably  inclined  is  potentially 
eligible  for  fraternity  membership.  If  he  is  not 
elected  to  one  of  the  existing  organizations,  or 
perhaps  does  not  find  the  members  of  such  groups 
that  he  may  be  invited  to  join  congenial  fellows, 
he  may  "get  enough  men  together,"  kindred  spir- 
its, and  found  one  of  his  own.  Of  course  there  are 
limitations.  Considerations  of  expense  deter  many 
students  from  either  entering  or  organizing  a  so- 
ciety. The  unavoidable  monetary  obligations  of 
membership  in  a  society  are,  of  necessity,  greater 
than  the  cost  of  an  economical,  independent  ex- 
istence, if  the  chief  benefits  of  a  fraternal  associa- 
tion, as  enumerated  above,  are  to  be  achieved. 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  293 

Instead  of  providing  only  his  own  study  and  bed- 
room the  fraternity  man  must  contribute  to  the 
upkeep  of  a  house  in  which  much  space  is  devoted 
to  general  assembly  rooms.  This  additional  cost  is 
not,  however,  so  great  as  might  be  thought  neces- 
sary, for  the  profit  of  the  landlord  and  boarding- 
house  keeper  are  largely  eliminated  by  the  internal 
ownership  and  management.  Statistics  secured 
from  a  number  of  fraternities  show  that  room, 
board,  dues  and  other  assessments  for  the  general 
expense  vary  between  four  hundred  and  eighty  and 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  annually,  according 
to  differences  in  their  scale  of  living.  Some  socie- 
ties have  very  pretentious  houses  and  entertain 
lavishly.  In  certain  instances  the  cost  is  consider- 
ably higher  than  the  maximum  stated,  it  is  seldom 
lower  than  the  minimum  given.  On  the  other  hand 
the  independent  student  may  eke  out  a  decent, 
though  very  economical  existence,  on  as  little  as 
four  hundred  dollars  and  a  quite  luxurious  one  at 
an  expense  of  some  seven  hundred  dollars  for  room 
and  board.  The  university  provides  women  stu- 
dents with  board,  furnished  room  and  a  limited 
amount  of  laundry  service  in  its  two  dormitories 
at  an  average  cost  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars  per  year. 

It  should  be  stated  that  the  fraternity  man 
must,  in  addition  to  the  general  expenses  noted, 
pay  also  an  initiation  fee  which  may  be  only  a 
nominal  or  a  quite  considerable  sum.  It  is  further 
expected  that  he  will  dress  presentably,  provide 
evening  clothes,  and  have  pocket  money  enough  to 


294  Concerning  Cornell 

indulge,  not  necessarily  extravagantly,  in  the  or- 
dinary student  diversions.  He  will  purchase  a  sea- 
son ticket  to  the  athletic  events,  contribute  to 
various  student  funds,  subscribe  to  one  or  more 
college  periodicals.  These  items  jointly  may 
mount  up  to  a  considerable  sum.  Accordingly,  it 
would  probably  be  fair  to  set  one  thousand  dollars 
as  the  nearly  minimum  annual  expense,  excluding 
tuition,  of  the  fraternity  member  at  Cornell.  In 
exceptional  instances  it  will  be  found  that  men  not 
able  to  meet  even  such  a  minimum  of  expense  are 
nevertheless  members  of  a  society  and  in  good 
standing.  But  such  men  are  usually  able  to  make 
up  the  difference  by  service  in  the  fraternity  or 
with  funds  secured  by  outside  effort,  perhaps  in 
employment  obtained  through  influence  of  the 
organization. 

It  does  not  follow  that  every  student  able  to 
afford  it  desires,  or  will  accept  membership  in  a 
fraternity  if  it  is  offered  to  him.  Many  parents 
will  not  permit  their  sons  to  join  a  fraternity 
either  because  of  the  extra  expense  involved  or 
because  they  fear  such  associations  may  divert 
too  much  attention  from  studies.  Again,  there  are 
some  independent  spirits  who  would  chafe  at  the 
presumption  even  of  any  set  of  their  peers  passing 
judgment  upon  their  merits  and  demerits.  Indeed 
the  fraternities  already  in  existence  have  a  hard 
struggle  to  recruit  each  year  a  sufficient  number  of 
desirable  men.  Yet  there  remain  among  the  inde- 
pendents a  quite  large  number  of  students  who  are 
both  financially  able  and  desirous  of  becoming 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  295 

fraternity  members  but  are  not  elected.  The  prin- 
cipal reason  why  these  men  are  not  chosen  is  that 
they  are  unknown.  Data  at  hand  indicate  that 
from  one-third  to  nine-tenths  of  the  freshmen  taken 
into  the  various  societies  are  recruited  from  candi- 
dates recommended  by  their  alumni.  Congenial- 
ity is  a  prime  requisite,  of  this  the  alumnus  is 
usually  as  competent  a  judge  as  may  be  had. 
Many  men  who  come  to  Cornell  unrecommended 
to  any  fraternity  very  shortly  secure  invitations  be- 
cause they  show  athletic  or  musical  ability.  Such  ac- 
complishments lift  a  man  above  the  common  level, 
make  him  conspicuous,  and  such  powers  or  skill  on 
the  part  of  its  members  give  the  society  standing 
among  the  undergraduates.  An  actual  canvass  of 
representative  fraternities  showed  that  congenial- 
ity ("we  have  to  live  with  him")  and  athletic  or 
musical  ability  were  predominating  factors  in  the 
election  of  candidates.  Other  qualities  considered 
essential,  in  order  nearly  according  to  the  number 
of  times  mentioned,  were:  sterling  moral  character; 
personality,  including  appearance;  scholarship; 
family  social  standing  and  financial  ability,  and 
individual  aggressiveness,  about  equally  desirable; 
while  nationality,  religion  and  "good  mixer"  re- 
ceived a  scattering  vote.  Of  such  stuff,  therefore, 
is  fraternity  material  composed.  On  the  whole 
the  standards  are  quite  commendable  and  if,  per- 
haps, too  much  emphasis  seems  to  be  put  upon 
mere  good  fellowship  and  nonscholarly  accom- 
plishments that  is  but  a  reflection  of  undergradu- 
ate sentiment  in  general.    One  quality  seems  curi- 


296  Concerning  Cornell 

ously  absent  from  the  reported  list.  That  is  the 
ability  to  entertain  in  the  sense  of  entertaining 
others.  Perhaps  that  is  lumped  with  congeniality, 
the  members  feeling  that  when  they  enjoy  the  wit 
or  pranks  of  individual  fraters  they  simply  evince 
the  common  good  fellowship.  Nevertheless,  in  the 
language  of  Arnold  Bennett  the  "card"  is  quite  a 
factor  in  providing  sparkle  to  fraternity  life. 

As  has  been  suggested  above,  the  existing  fra- 
ternities are  keen  to  secure  men  considered  to  be 
desirable  fraternity  material.  In  fact  so  strenuous 
had  this  competition  become  that  an  Inter- 
fraternity  Association  was  formed  and  adopted 
an  elaborate  set  of  rules  to  govern  the  " rushing," 
entertainment  and  pledging,  of  incoming  freshmen. 
Each  fraternity  was  required  to  furnish  the  associa- 
tion by  September  twenty-fifth  with  a  list  of 
the  freshman  it  had  pledged  previous  to  September 
first.  Between  September  first  and  September 
twenty-ninth  no  rushing  was  permitted  and  fra- 
ternity men  in  Ithaca  were  not  allowed  to  com- 
municate with  any  freshman.  "There  shall  be  no 
meeting  of  trains."  On  September  twenty-ninth 
invitations  were  extended  to  freshmen  by  mail  on 
uniform  cards  accompanied  by  self-addressed  en- 
velopes for  their  return.  The  name  of  one  person 
recommending  the  freshman  might  be  written  on 
the  card  but  nothing  else.  Dates  were  made  with 
freshmen  in  this  manner  for  the  period  between 
October  fourth  and  fourteenth,  but  no  fraternity 
could  have  more  than  two  dates  with  a  man  during 
the  period.    "No  date  shall  interfere  with  the 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  297 

freshman's  work  in  the  university."  "In  this  first 
period  there  shall  be  absolutely  no  pledging  or 
communication  with  freshmen  regarding  member- 
ship, nor  during  the  interim  between  that  and  the 
second  period  for  entertainment."  The  second 
period,  for  which  dates  were  made  under  similar 
restrictions,  began  on  October  eighteenth  and  ex- 
tended through  to  October  twenty-first.  During 
that  time  freshmen  might  be  pledged,  but  only 
within  the  fraternity  house  and  at  times  when  the 
freshmen  had  a  date  with  the  fraternity.  There 
were  further  elaborations  in  the  rules,  but  what  has 
been  given  will  suffice  to  indicate  how  the  fraterni- 
ties had  hedged  about  their  activities  in  order  to 
give  a  fair  opportunity  to  both  the  societies  and 
the  men  in  making  their  choices,  also  to  prevent 
unseemly  and  undignified  scrambles  to  secure  some 
especially  promising  candidate.  Still  later  an  effort 
was  made  to  confine  rushing  entirely  to  the  second 
term.  But  the  pressure  for  men,  owing  in  part  to 
the  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  societies, 
brought  about  a  complete  collapse  of  the  system 
in  1916,  and  there  was  for  several  years  a  return 
to  the  earlier  "catch  as  catch  can"  scheme  of  se- 
curing members;  though  a  small  group  of  fraterni- 
ties, late  in  the  spring  of  1920,  had  agreed  to  the 
adoption  of  a  modification  of  the  old  rules. 

When  the  first  few  of  the  Residential  Halls  on 
the  campus  were  nearing  completion,  a  new  com- 
plication was  thought  to  have  been  injected  into 
the  fraternity  situation.  It  was  expected  that  the 
authorities  would  immediately  rule  that  freshmen 


298  Concerning  Cornell 

should  live  in  the  Residential  Halls  as  far  as  ac- 
commodations would  permit,  and,  in  any  event, 
be  not  permitted  to  live  in  fraternity  houses.  This 
action  was  anticipated  by  the  fraternities  and  most 
of  them  acquiesced  in  the  desirability  of  such  an 
arrangement,  though  they  asked  a  year's  notice 
in  which  time  they  might  adjust  themselves  to  the 
new  conditions.  No  doubt  such  a  change  would  be 
wholesome.  Above  all,  it  would  promote  class 
spirit  and  class  loyalty  at  Cornell,  would  tend  to 
put  these  on  a  par  with  fraternity  loyalty  and  so 
develop  a  broader  democracy.  It  is  frequently 
asserted  that  the  fraternity  men  of  Cornell  are 
snobbish,  that  the  fraternities  dominate  student 
activities  and  indeed  attempt  to  influence  the 
faculty  and  the  trustees  with  a  view  to  promoting 
fraternity  interests,  and  that  to  the  detriment  of 
the  community  as  a  whole.  This  is  the  phase  of 
the  fraternity  question  that  seems  of  greatest  im- 
portance to  many  in  their  concern  for  the  general 
welfare  of  Cornell.  The  best  remedy  for  such  con- 
ditions, if  it  be  granted  they  exist,  would  be,  as  sug- 
gested above,  more  fraternities;  or  what  amounts 
to  the  same  thing,  more  men  in  fraternities.  There 
is,  however,  little  possibility  that  additional  Res- 
idential Halls  will  be  provided  rapidly  enough  to 
make  any  plan  of  housing  freshmen  exclusively  in 
them  feasible  in  the  near  future.  Considering  con- 
ditions as  they  exist,  there  are  without  question 
men  who  are  inclined  to  be  uppish  because  they 
enjoy  advantages  due  to  organized  effort  or  due 
to  their  more  fortunate  circumstances.     But  the 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  299 

majority  of  fraternities  frown  on  such  individuals 
and  urge  their  men  to  cultivate  nonfraternity  ac- 
quaintances, if  for  no  other  reason,  merely  as  a 
matter  of  good  policy. 

It  is  very  unlikely  that  any  organized  effort 
is  exerted  to  secure  special  privileges  for  the  fra- 
ternities. As  opportunity  offers  single  groups  may 
pull  a  little  here  or  haul  there,  and  the  total 
effect  of  such  diplomacy  may  at  times  make  itself 
noticeable,  especially  in  undergraduate  affairs.  But 
because  of  the  pressure  from  within,  on  account  of 
growing  numbers,  the  societies  are  themselves 
favoring  curtailment  of  various  perquisites  that 
formerly  were  theirs.  Thus  the  distribution  of 
class  offices,  membership  on  different  committees, 
editorial  positions  on  the  annuals,  etc.,  are  no 
longer  wholly  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  fra- 
ternity circle.  Most  such  honors  and  the  accom- 
panying emoluments  are  now  awarded  according 
to  the  outcome  of  competitions  that  any  student 
may  enter.  Perhaps  the  fraternities  do  resent 
criticism  from  the  outside  with  a  little  too  much 
choler.  For  the  rest  the  gravest  indictment  that 
may  be  urged  against  the  fraternities  is  that  they 
are  too  much  bound  up  by  their  own  interests,  not 
as  opposed  to  the  welfare  of  the  university  at  large, 
but  in  that  when  their  loyalty  to  the  fraternity  is 
exhausted  there  is  too  little  store  left  for  the  greater 
institution. 

How  this  last  works  out  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  method  commonly  adopted,  especially  by  the 
younger  fraternities,  in  financing  the  purchase  of  a 


300  Concerning  Cornell 

fraternity  home  and  by  the  after  results  of  such 
procedure.  As  much  money  as  local  capitalists 
will  advance  is  secured  by  a  first  mortgage  on  the 
property.  The  balance  of  the  purchase  price  is 
then  made  up  by  subscription  by  the  active  mem- 
bers and  by  the  sale  of  bonds  secured  by  a  second 
mortgage.  These  bonds  are  taken  up  in  later 
years  with  profits  acquired  in  the  management 
of  the  house.  Eventually  the  whole  debt  may 
be  cleared  up  in  this  manner.  But  ordinarily  the 
active  chapter  depends  in  some  measure  on  its 
alumni  for  financial  support,  either  in  the  nature 
of  voluntary  contributions  or  by  a  system  of 
pledges.  Inquiries  addressed  to  a  number  of  rep- 
resentative organizations  brought  replies  indicat- 
ing that  in  most  cases  the  alumni  give  "liberally," 
"generously"  or  "slightly"  toward  the  payment 
of  old  obligations,  upkeep  or  improvements. 

Accordingly,  when  a  Cornell  alumnus  acquires 
a  sufficient  start  to  enable  him  to  contribute  to  the 
support  of  his  Alma  Mater,  he  commonly  feels 
it  his  first  duty  to  help  his  fraternity  chapter. 
Probably  every  one  in  touch  with  Cornell  interests, 
from  the  noblest  faculty  member  of  them  all 
down  to  the  humblest  freshman,  would  sympathize 
with  and  encourage  a  group  of  Cornell  under- 
graduates who  had  banded  themselves  together 
fraternally  and  were  endeavoring  to  secure  a  home 
for  the  organization  they  had  founded  and  hoped 
to  perpetuate.  For,  in  reality,  this  amounts  sim- 
ply to  the  effort  of  groups  of  individuals  to  secure 
dormitory  accommodations.    Its  detrimental  as- 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  301 

pect  is  that  the  financial  strain  is  apt  to  be  a  bit 
heavy  for  the  young  promoters  and  so  leave  them 
little  able  or  willing  to  add  to  the  general  re- 
sources of  the  university;  and,  in  the  case  of  the 
older  societies,  that  they  will  be  ambitious  to 
secure  too  luxurious  homes,  and  thus  continue 
indefinitely  to  drain  the  financial  cup  proffered  by 
alumni.  If,  then,  these  sentences  by  chance  come 
to  the  eye  of  some  person  of  wealth  he  may  per- 
ceive that  here  is  an  opportunity  to  do  much 
toward  promoting  democracy  at  Cornell  by  con- 
tributing to  the  erection  of  attractive  university 
living-quarters.  If  the  freshmen  were  all  housed 
in  such  halls,  all  manner  of  men  rubbing  elbows  in 
a  great  dining-room,  with  no  prospect  of  a  frater- 
nity election  nearer  than  the  sophomore  year,  a 
sense  of  solidarity  and  community  interest,  as 
affecting  the  whole  university,  would  develop  and 
prevail,  and  the  impress  of  this  would  much  subdue 
later  fraternity  partisanship.  It  should  be  added, 
however,  that  in  the  national  crisis  in  1917,  the 
fraternity  men,  as  a  group,  were  among  the  first  to 
respond  to  the  call  to  arms,  and  in  the  univer- 
sity's campaign,  in  1920,  for  endowment  funds 
the  fraternity  men  came  forward  splendidly. 

In  conclusion,  some  tentative  suggestions  in 
regard  to  the  choice  of  a  fraternity  may  not  be 
considered  amiss  by  freshman  or  parents.  The 
former  will  do  well  to  look  up  the  statistics  of  such 
fraternities  as  may  rush  him  in  the  latest  issue 
of  the  Cornellian,  the  annual  statistical  publication 
of  the  classes,  copies  of  which  will  be  found  in  the 


302  Concerning  Cornell 

university  library.  Let  him  note  in  what  other 
institutions  the  fraternity  has  chapters.  This  will 
often  give  an  indication  as  to  the  general  standing 
of  the  society.  Many  of  the  national  organizations 
publish  journals;  these  are  in  quite  a  few  instances 
also  on  file  at  the  library.  A  conning  of  their  pages 
will  give  an  insight  into  the  ideals  and  aims  of 
the  societies.  But  let  him  not  hesitate  to  cast  his 
lot  with  one  of  the  younger,  perhaps  local  organiza- 
tions, if  he  feels,  after  scanning  individual  records 
of  its  seniors  as  printed  in  the  Cornellian,  that  the 
evident  characteristics  and  achievements  of  these 
men  come  nearest  to  the  ideal  of  development  that 
he  himself  hopes  to  attain.  He  may  further  be 
able  to  find,  in  back  numbers  of  the  Cornellian  and 
Class  Book,  or  on  inquiry  at  the  offices  of  the 
Alumni  Secretary  in  Morrill  Hall,  names  of  alum- 
ni who  are  now  members  of  his  home  community. 
These  names  he  will  do  well  to  write  his  parents. 
The  parents  can  do  a  little  investigating  on  their 
own  part  by  writing  to  the  secretary  of  the  univer- 
sity and  inquiring  about  the  scholarship  standing 
of  the  fraternities  their  sons  are  invited  to  join. 
President  Schurman  ordered  annually  the  compil- 
ation of  an  honor  list  and  a  comparative  record  of 
fraternity  scholarship.  This  information  is  avail- 
able through  the  secretary  to  parents.  They  may 
be  confident  that  the  candidate  himself  will  be 
fully  posted  in  regard  to  the  athletic  and  under- 
graduate activity  record  of  the  organization. 

This  section  is  so  much  like  a  letter  home- 
rambling — that  there  will  be  no  harm  in  putting 


Fraternities  at  Cornell  303 

here  at  the  very  end  what  ought,  probably,  to  have 
been  the  kernel  of  the  composition,  something 
about  the  actual  life  in  the  fraternity  house. 
Shortly  after  he  is  pledged,  the  freshman  is  ini- 
tiated with  due  ceremony  and  instructed  as  to  the 
hailing  signs  and  the  significance  of  various  fra- 
ternity insignia.  In  accordance  with  the  ruling  of 
the  university  authorities,  initiations  must  take 
place  within  the  chapter  house  and  must  not  in- 
clude any  dangerous  features.  As  most  societies 
include  faculty  members  on  their  rolls,  these  provi- 
sions are  no  doubt  adhered  to  very  strictly.  While 
it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  describe  the  different 
rituals,  it  may  safely  be  said  that  if  the  vows  taken 
were  lived  up  to,  fraternity  men  would  very  gener- 
ally be  model  characters. 

For  various  reasons  freshmen  commonly  do 
not  live  in  the  chapter  house,  but  all  the  members 
dine  there.  This  is  one  of  the  most  pleasant  fea- 
tures of  fraternity  life.  Moreover,  the  fraternity 
is  in  position  to  supervise  very  strictly  the  food 
served,  no  mean  advantage.  Often  guests  are 
present,  frequently  faculty  members;  men  from 
other  colleges  on  visiting  athletic  teams  are  enter- 
tained; thus  opportunity  is  afforded  to  meet  many 
interesting  people.  After  dinner  the  men  com- 
monly gather  in  the  library  or  general  lounging 
room  for  a  social  hour,  singing  songs,  practising 
dances,  playing  cards.  Practically  every  society 
has  also  a  substantial  fiction  library  and  sub- 
scribes to  numerous  popular  magazines.  During 
Junior  Week  and  Senior  Week  house  parties  are 


304  Concerning  Cornell 

the  rule.  Then  all  appointments  must  be  fur- 
bished up  for  the  critical  inspection  of  feminine 
guests.  Then,  also,  the  freshmen's  lives  are  full 
of  duties;  they  must,  for  example,  keep  fire  watch 
through  the  night,  and,  when  they  do  find  time  to 
sleep,  hie  themselves  to  some  attic  or  basement 
corner.  It  is  at  these  times,  when  guests  from 
home  are  entertained,  that  the  nonfraternity  man 
feels  most  out  of  it.  He  has  no  proper  place  to 
take  his  friends.  This  is  another  difficulty  of  the 
independent  student  that  the  further  development 
of  the  Residential  Halls  plans  should  be  made  to 
solve. 


WW  I  Willi 


A  Fraternity  Lodge 


A  Typical  Dining-Room   in    v   Fraternity   Lodge 


Northwest  Corner  of  the  Quadrangle  at  Night 


N.  Y.  S.  Drill  Hall  at  Cornell  University 

Night,  Winter,  1917.     Then  occupied  by  cadets  of  the  School  of  Military 

Aeronautics,  U.  S.  A.     Cornell  Aces,  Meissner  and  Donaldson 

were  trained  here 


CHAPTER  VII 

ATHLETICS   AT    CORNELL 

IN  athletics  Cornell  was,  in  the  years  just  preced 
ing  the  Great  War,  literally  triumphant.  "We 
do  not  need  more  athletes  at  Cornell,  but  more  men 
need  Cornell."  Such  was,  in  effect,  the  pithy 
summing  up  of  the  situation  by  an  alumnus.  This 
claim  of  "all  victorious"  is  borne  out  by  the  rec- 
ords of  intercollegiate  athletic  history  as  will  be 
perceived  on  a  perusal  of  the  paragraphs  that  fol- 
low; that  the  metropolitan  press  did  and  does  not 
make  much  of  Cornell's  athletic  achievements  is 
regrettable  from  the  undergraduate  viewpoint,  but 
is  easily  understood.  The  older  universities  of  the 
east  have  a  vast  alumni  support;  Cornell  is  only 
beginning  to  come  into  her  own  in  this  respect, 
and,  since  readers  make  a  paper,  the  lack  of  em- 
phasis on  Cornell  victories  is  an  immediate  con- 
sequence. Cornell,  however,  does  not  need  athletic 
advertising.  On  the  other  hand  those  who  need 
Cornell,  and  come  to  Cornell,  will  find  clean  sport 
and  high  ideals,  good  spirit,  win  or  lose,  and  that  is 
what  counts  most  in  the  world  of  amateur  athletics. 
Of  the  truth  of  this  dictum,  what  is  perhaps  the 
finest  tribute  ever  paid  to  Cornell  athletics,  may  be 
offered  in  proof.  It  is  an  editorial  that  appeared 
in  the  Boston  Transcript,  May  30,  1911,  under  the 
heading,  "Victorious  by  Land  and  Sea"  as  follows: 

How  does  Cornell  do  it?    Two  boat  races,  two  base- 
ball games  and  an  intercollegiate  track  meet  for  one 


306  Concerning  Cornell 

day's  athletic  spoils.  Now  are  the  shrines  of  victory 
on  the  Ithacan  strand  heaped  with  the  bays  of  her 
heroes,  and  the  name  of  their  alma  mater  a  word  of 
praise  on  the  tongues  of  men.  On  Cayuga's  waters  the 
Cornell  boat  left  the  Harvard  boat  two  and  one-half 
lengths  behind;  the  Cornell  freshmen  had  passed  the 
buoys  at  the  finish  when  the  Harvard  freshmen  had 
nineteen  more  strokes  to  row;  the  Cornell  baseball 
team  in  a  wrenching  fourteen-inning  game  won  from 
the  Yale  men  with  a  score  of  six  to  five,  though  those 
stubborn  sons  of  Eli  had  tied  the  game  with  three  runs 
at  the  end  of  the  ninth  inning.  At  Hanover  the  Dart- 
mouth freshmen  were  being  worsted  at  baseball  by  the 
Cornell  freshmen,  four  to  one;  thus  early  does  the 
habit  of  victory  set  in  with  Ithacans,  and  these  lads 
went  home  bearing  another  sheaf  of  glory  for  the  gen- 
eral blaze.  Close  at  hand  in  the  Harvard  Stadium  we 
saw  Cornell's  track  team,  by  the  more  laborious  and 
less  spectacular  kind  of  victories,  surpass  the  athletes 
of  every  other  college  of  prominence  in  the  East.  And 
three  new  records  were  made  by  Cornell  men,  two  of 
them  by  Mr.  John  Paul  Jones,  who,  if  there  were  any- 
thing in  names,  should  have  captained  his  university 
boat;  but  he  served  his  college  well  on  land. 

So  Cornell,  as  they  say  in  the  Greek  histories,  was 
victorious  both  by  land  and  by  sea.  We  feebly  struggle ; 
they  in  glory  shine.  And  though  beaten,  and  beaten 
badly,  we  can  still  admire  without  envy  and  cheer 
without  regret.  As  was  said  in  these  columns  on  Sat- 
urday, next  to  the  honor  of  beating  Cornell  is  the  honor 
of  being  beaten  by  men  who  play  the  game  so  like  gen- 
tlemen, men  who  can  generously  win  and  as  handsome- 
ly take  a  defeat.  Singularly,  there  is  no  sting  in  being 
beaten  by  Cornell;  it  is  as  if  they  had  all  along  de- 
served to  win. 

Whether  they  come  bearing  the  lyre  to  sing  in  joint 
concerts  of  the  musical  clubs  or  in  running  togs  to 
march  fleetly  down  the  cinder  paths,  they  come  as 


Athletics  at  Cornell  307 

friends,  and  as  such  they  depart.  Some  spirit  is  in 
that  New  York  State  college  which  compels  the  re- 
spect and  admiration  of  us  all.  Rarely  do  groups  of 
young  men  "show  up"  better  than  groups  coming 
from  Cornell.  Why  these  things  are  so  we  may  not 
pretend  to  know,  and  if  any  one  possesses  the  explana- 
tion it  will  be  received  with  pleasure;  but  it  is  both 
curious  and  inspiring  to  note  what  a  high  standard  of 
youthful  manhood  Cornell  maintains  and  how  her  men 
respond  to  any  test  from  athletics  to  the  summons  for 
personal  bravery. 

The  late  James  McNeil  Whistler,  with  his  eccentric 
generosity,  was  at  a  dinner  party  at  which  his  brother 
artist,  Lord  Leighton,  was  being  eulogized  for  his 
versatility.  The  speaker  had  discoursed  warmly  of 
the  orator,  the  scholar  and  the  man,  when  WThistler 
broke  in: "Paints  some,  too."  And  so  Cornell  is,  after 
all,  none  of  your  athlete's  college.    It  trains  men,  too. 

In  the  words  of  your  own  hvmn:  "Hail,  all  hail, 
Cornell!" 

After  such  encomiums  from  the  home  of  the 
opponents,  Cornell  undergraduates  could  endure 
with  equanimity  the  attempt  of  the  New  York 
Evening  Mail,  in  November  of  the  same  year,  to 
excite  itself  into  a  flurry  by  the  use  of  immoderate 
language  in  railing  at  "Cornell  spirit" : 

CURSE  OF  OUR  COLLEGES 

American  colleges  are  still  under  discussion,  but 
very  few  critics  get  at  the  real  evil  that  afflicts  them. 
It  is  an  evil  more  desperate  than  drink.  The  American 
universities  and  colleges,  so  far  as  the  undergraduate 
bodies  are  concerned,  are  cursed  with  puerility  from 
top  to  bottom — but  especially  at  the  top.  Many  man- 
ly young  fellows  enter  the  colleges;  but  they  are  no 
sooner  in  than  they  have  this  curse  of  standardized 


308  Concerning  Cornell 

puerility  hung  about  their  necks,  and  by  the  time  they 
reach  the  upper  classes  they  are  the  silliest  sheep  that 
ever  chewed  the  cud  of  meek  convention. 

We  can  illustrate  what  we  mean  by  making  an 
extract  from  an  editorial  in  the  Cornell  Daily  Sun,  the 
students'  organ  at  Cornell  University.  The  editorial 
is  addressed  to  the  class  of  1915,  the  freshmen;  and  to 
them  it  gives  this  warning,  which  though  badly  punc- 
tuated, is  very  solemn: 

"If  you  could  remember  a  few  of  the  cardinal  vir- 
tues how  much  better  it  would  be  for  every  one.  That 
that  small  gray  cap  is  always  to  be  worn,  save  in  the 
specified  excepted  cases.  That  smoking  on  the  campus 
is  not  for  you.  That  the  dearly  prized  preparatory 
school  insignia  show  to  better  advantage  ripped  off, 
and  the  high  school  pin,  even  though  hid  beneath  your 
coat,  does  surely  break  the  spirit  of  the  rules.  That 
on  the  Ithaca  street  railway,  if  the  car  be  crowded, 
with  upperclassmen  aboard,  your  position  is  standing. 
And  right  here  it  might  well  be  noted  that  this  rule 
will  never  be  effective  unless  upperclassmen  cooper- 
ate for  its  enforcement/' 

This,  we  are  given  to  understand  in  another  part  of 
the  article,  represents  "the  Cornell  spirit."  Cornell 
spirit!  The  Cornell  tin-rattle,  or  the  Cornell  lolipop, 
would  be  a  better  word.  If  this  is  the  Cornell  spirit, 
Cornell  is  still  mewling  in  its  nurse's  arms.  If  a  stu- 
dent is  a  man,  what  difference  does  it  make  to  him 
whether  the  student  in  the  class  below  him  wears  on 
his  head  a  "small  gray  cap"  or  a  copper-bottomed 
wash  boiler  ?  And  what  part  of  a  gentleman's  educa- 
tion is  it  to  be  taught  to  throw  another  man  out  of  a 
seat  in  a  street  car,  in  order  that  one  may  sit  in  it 
one's  self? 

The  one  thing  that  is  most  horribly  scarce  in 
American  universities  and  colleges  is  manly  dynamic 
spirit.  The  disaster  of  our  college  education,  thus  far, 
is  tendency  to  extinguish  individual  initiative.    The 


Athletics  at  Cornell  309 

students  become  progressively  sheep-like  all  through 
the  course.  In  forcing  the  lowerclassmen  to  put  on 
childish  things,  the  upperclassmen  put  and  keep  them 
on  themselves.  Instead  of  thanking  God  for  an  inde- 
pendent fellow,  for  a  good  brave  rebel,  when  he  comes 
to  the  college,  they  set  themselves  at  work  to  lick  him 
into  a  docile  and  conventional  attitude.  The  result  is 
that,  by  the  time  he  is  a  senior,  he  generally  chews  the 
cud  of  crass,  idealess  conformity  with  all  the  rest  of  the 
hollow-horned  genus. 

It  would  be  a  blessing  for  the  majority  of  American 
colleges  if  they  could  be  turned  topsy-turvy,  with  the 
freshmen  on  top,  and  stimulated  into  that  desirable 
diversity  that  is  so  healthy  for  all  human  beings  and 
so  natural  to  the  American  race. 

However  opinion  may  be  divided  in  regard  to 
the  wording  of  the  Sun  editorial,  or  indeed,  with 
reference  to  the  whole  system  of  freshman  regula- 
tions (which  after  all  are  not  enforced  in  the  letter) 
it  is  evident  from  the  Boston  Transcript's  version 
that  the  training  men  get  at  Cornell  does  not  pro- 
duce entirely  shameful  results.  It  is  also  quite 
clear  that  the  writer  in  the  Evening  Mail  rolled  out 
the  expressions,  "Cornell  lolipop,,  and  "Cornell 
tin-rattle"  with  quite  a  bit  of  unction.  There  you 
have  the  chief  reason  for  reproducing  the  screed;  it 
illustrates  an  attitude  toward  Cornell  (this  singling 
her  out  to  bear  the  burden  of  what,  at  worst,  is  a 
common  fault  of  the  colleges),  that  not  many  years 
ago  was  shared  by  all  the  metropolitan  press,  and 
still  appears  occasionally.  Of  the  same  order  is 
the  following  anecdote,  which  was  printed  in  the 
Saturday  Evening  Post,  March  30,  1912,  under  the 
caption  "Cornell's  Comeback": 


310  Concerning  Cornell 

In  1897  President  Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler,  now  of 
the  University  of  California,  was  faculty  representa- 
tive of  the  Cornell  navy.  Cornell  and  Yale  had  had 
no  rowing  relations  for  twenty  years,  and  through  the 
efforts  of  Professor  Wheeler  a  race  was  arranged. 

When  the  crews  of  Harvard,  Yale  and  Cornell  met 
at  Poughkeepsie  in  July  of  that  year  there  was  much 
rowing  excitement,  and  a  great  crowd  was  present. 

Wheeler  was  aboard  the  Cornell  launch  at  the 
starting-line.  Harvard  and  Cornell  were  ready,  but 
Yale  had  not  appeared.  The  Yale  launch  shot  out 
and  a  man  in  it  shouted:  "Yale  cannot  be  here  for 
twenty  minutes.    Will  you  wait,  Cornell ?" 

"We  have  waited  twenty  years  to  beat  Yale," 
Wheeler  replied,  "and  I  guess  we  can  wait  twenty 
minutes  longer,"  which  in  those  days  and  at  every 
Cornell  banquet  since  has  unanimously  been  consid- 
ered a  glittering  example  of  the  ready  comeback,  the 
quick-as-a-flash  stuff,  to  say  nothing  of  repartee.  It  is 
always  produced  just  after  the  close-harmony  boys  at 
Table  G  have  yanked  the  excelsior  out  of  the  Stein 
Song. 

It  was  in  rowing  that  Cornell  first  earned  ath- 
letic fame,  and  in  view  of  her  for  long  unbroken 
string  of  victories  in  this  sport  it  is  not  surprising 
that  there  should  be  a  little  jealousy,  coupled  with 
attempts,  somehow,  to  make  her  ridiculous.  These 
jabs  began  at  a  very  early  date.  President  White 
relates  in  his  "Autobiography"  that  the  Cornell 
crews  in  their  first  contest  with  the  other  universi- 
ties on  the  Connecticut  River,  at  Springfield,  were 
beaten,  but  took  their  defeat  manfully.  When,  how- 
ever, several  years  later  (1875)  the  Cornell  crews 
met,  at  Saratoga  Lake,  the  crews  from  Harvard, 
Yale  and  other  leading  universities,  and  won  both 


Athletics  at  Cornell  311 

the  freshman  and  the  university  races,  it  was,  as 
he  says,  humorously  charged  against  President 
White,  that  when  the  news  reached  Ithaca  he 
rushed  out  to  ring  the  university  bells.  "This  was 
not  the  fact.  The  simple  truth  was  that,  being  in 
the  midst  of  a  body  of  students  when  the  news 
came,  and  seeing  them  rush  toward  the  bell-tower, 
I  went  with  them  to  prevent  injury  to  the  bells  by 
careless  ringing;  the  ringing  was  done  by  them. 
I  will  not  deny  that  the  victory  pleased  me. " 

If  this  early  victory  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the 
adherents  of  the  rival  crews,  the  Cornell  record 
since  must  be  an  unending  source  of  chagrin  to 
such  partisans.  Of  sixty-eight  American  collegiate 
varsity  races,  with  from  two  to  eleven  contenders 
in  each  event,  Cornell  crews  have  won  forty-seven, 
or  two-thirds  of  all  the  contests  held  up  to  and  in- 
cluding 1920.  The  freshmen  crews  have  an  even 
better  record,  having  won  thirty-seven  of  a  total 
of  forty-eight  races  in  which  they  have  rowed. 
In  addition  Cornell  freshmen  hold  the  American 
record  for  an  eight-oared  shell  in  a  two-mile  race, 
and  the  1901  Cornell  varsity  holds  the  world's 
record  for  a  four-mile  race. 

These  notable  achievements  were,  in  greatest 
measure,  due  the  coaching  ability  of  Charles  E. 
Courtney,  Cornell's  "Old  Man,"  originator  of  the 
"  Courtney  stroke. "  Courtney  was  born  in  Union 
Springs,  on  Lake  Cayuga,  New  York,  on  Novem- 
ber 13,  1849,  and  began  to  row  races  when  he  was 
nineteen  years  old  in  a  boat  that  he  had  himself 
built.     The  first  contest  in  which  he  took  part  was 


312  Concerning  Cornell 

staged  at  Aurora,  on  his  home  lake  and  near  his 
home  town.  Courtney  arrived  first  at  the  starting 
place,  and,  when  the  other  two  contenders  ap- 
peared, it  was  at  once  noted  that  their  boats  were 
only  about  one-third  as  heavy  as  Courtney's  home- 
made craft,  which  weighed  eighty  pounds.  No  one 
expected  the  country  boy  to  make  much  of  a  show- 
ing, but,  when  the  three-mile  race  was  done, 
Courtney  was  the  winner  by  a  half-mile  lead!  As 
an  amateur  he  rowed  eighty-nine  single  scull  races 
and  won  them  all !  In  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
contests  in  which  he  participated  he  lost  seven. 

Courtney  first  came  to  Cornell  as  a  coach  in 
1883,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  1884, 
continued  in  that  capacity  until  his  death  on  July 
17,  1920.  On  account  of  an  injury  received  on 
the  train  enroute  for  Poughkeepsie  in  1915,  and 
because  of  his  advancing  years,  he  had  not  partic- 
ipated so  actively  as  formerly  in  the  daily  work  of 
training  for  several  seasons.  But  he  still  contin- 
ued, however,  to  act  as  mentor,  and  in  1919  and 
1920  was  again  choosing  and  personally  develop- 
ing the  crews.  Between  1885  and  1914,  the  years 
of  his  most  active  career  at  Cornell  as  rowing  coach, 
Cornell  crews  in  intercollegiate  contests  with  Yale, 
Princeton,  Harvard,  Pennsylvania,  Brown,  Bow- 
doin,  Columbia,  on  various  courses,  had  one  un- 
broken string  of  victories,  and  in  the  Intercollegi- 
ate Rowing  Association  Regattas  at  Poughkeepsie, 
first  established  in  1895,  Cornell  has  won  fourteen 
in  a  total  of  twenty-three  races,  with  at  times 
six  contestants. 


Athletics  at  Cornell  313 

Courtney  much  preferred  to  have  a  candidate 
for  the  crew  come  to  him  absolutely  without  rowing 
experience,  than  to  have  a  man  who  had  had  pre- 
paratory school  or  rowing  club  amateur  training. 
Those  who  had  never  been  in  a  shell  before  did  not 
have  to  unlearn  faults,  and  Courtney  was  quite 
able  to  pick  out  the  men  qualified  for  conversion 
into  varsity  material,  and  to  develop  them  into 
oarsmen  of  Cornell  calibre.  In  consequence  there 
has  never  been,  in  the  history  of  Cornell  rowing, 
any  hint  of  professionalism,  and  it  may  be  that 
this  ideal,  set  up  so  early  by  the  rowing  annals, 
has  done  much  to  keep  Cornell  athletics  in  all 
other  branches  singularly  free  from  that  taint. 

The  "Old  Man"  was  an  iron  disciplinarian. 
While  in  training,  crew  candidates  lived  model 
lives.  No  favoritism  was  shown,  no  matter  how 
humble  a  candidate  was,  however  slight  his  con- 
nections with  the  circles  that  set  the  social  pace  of 
the  university,  he  had  just  as  good  a  chance  to 
make  the  boat,  to  be  stroke  indeed,  as  his  ability 
earned  for  him,  no  more,  no  less;  and  the  social 
favorites  had  the  same  opportunity  only.  Any 
suspicion,  even,  of  infraction  of  the  rules  that 
Courtney  laid  down,  or  murmuring  against  his 
orders  was  sufficient  cause  for  dismissal  of  a  can- 
didate, no  matter  how  promising.  An  example 
may  be  cited  from  the  year  1913,  when,  owing  to 
conditions  connected  with  the  dredging  of  the 
Inlet,  the  "Old  Man"  found  it  inadvisable  to  have 
more  than  twenty  candidates  at  the  regular  quar- 
ters.   The  rest  he  sent  to  another  boat-house,  up- 


314  Concerning  Cornell 

stream.  Some  of  the  men,  disgruntled  because 
they  were  not  among  the  number  assigned  to  the 
regular  boat-house,  gave  expression  to  their  feel- 
ings, and  when  Courtney  heard  of  this  he  promptly 
dropped  all  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  can- 
didates involved,  the  innocent  with  the  guilty. 
Despite  this  drastic  action  the  Cornell  varsity 
crew  that  year  won  its  race  with  Harvard  and 
finished  second  at  Poughkeepsie.  In  the  latter 
regatta  the  four-oared  crew  and  the  freshman  eight 
also  won  their  races.  Another  instance  of  Court- 
ney's discipline  is  afforded  by  the  famous  "short- 
cake" crew  of  1897,  which,  up  to  within  a  few 
weeks  before  the  races,  was  the  first  varsity  eight, 
but  the  "Old  Man"  removed  them  immediately 
he  found  that  they  had  broken  training  table  rules 
by  eating  short-cake.  Nevertheless  the  varsity 
finished  first  that  year  at  Poughkeepsie. 

When  at  "The  Oaks,"  the  Cornell  training 
quarters  on  the  Hudson,  all  sorts  of  non-strenuous 
games  were  indulged  in  to  while  away  the  time 
between  rowing  practices.  But  the  men  were  not 
allowed  to  play  cards  for  money.  On  this  account 
the  squad  one  year  sent  down  to  Poughkeepsie  for 
a  bushel  of  hickory  nuts  to  serve  as  counters  for  a 
poker  game,  and  a  lively  tournament  began.  "By 
dint  of  much  persuasion,"  so  Courtney  told  the 
story,  "they  finally  got  me  into  the  game,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  tournament  I  had  the  bushel  of  nuts. 
Every  night  after  supper  I  would  bring  out  the 
basket  and  crack  and  eat  a  few  nuts,  much  to  the 
discomfiture  of  the  onlookers."     A  further  side 


Athletics  at  Cornell  315 

light  on  the  characteristics  of  the  famous  old 
coach  is  afforded  by  his  remark:  "For  the  second 
time  in  my  life  I  sat  in  the  observation  train  at 
Poughkeepsie  during  the  1912  intercollegiate 
regatta.    It  was  also  the  last  time. " 

"There  are  no  secrets  between  the  oarsmen 
and  myself  so  far  as  the  way  they  are  rowing  is 
concerned,  and  I  maintain  this  attitude  right  up 
to  the  day  of  the  races.  They  can  figure  up  their 
chances  as  well  as  I."  But  Courtney  seldom 
talked  for  publication,  and  on  the  occasion  of 
student  celebrations  of  Cornell  victories  it  was 
generally  impossible  to  secure  even  the  attendance 
of  the  "Old  Man,"  much  less  get  him  to  make  a 
speech.  That  his  death  should  occur  while  he 
was  on  a  vacation  near  his  boyhood  home  for  the 
first  time  in  several  years,  and  immediately  fol- 
lowing a  morning  fishing  excursion  on  Cayuga, 
near  where  he  had  wTon  his  first  laurels  as  an 
oarsman,  was  a  sentimentally-fitting  termination 
of  a  notable  career;  that  in  his  last  year  as  coach  he 
should  have  turned  out  a  phenomenally  successful 
freshman  crew  indicates  that  he  was  the  master 
of  his  profession  until  the  end.  In  this  first  year 
crew  he  also  left  a  heritage  which  will  serve  to  carry 
the  Courtney  rowing  tradition  into  future  years. 
That  his  methods  will  be  preserved  at  Cornell 
goes  almost  without  saying;  and  it  was  at  first 
hoped  that,  with  John  Hoyle,  his  able  coadjutor 
through  many  years,  available  to  carry  forward  his 
work  without  a  significant  break,  a  continuation 
of  victories  would  be  the  share  of  Cornell  crews. 


316  Concerning  Cornell 

John  F.,  "Jack,"  Moakley  coaches  the  "track" 
teams.  This  is  a  superfluous  statement,  no  doubt, 
to  most  readers  of  these  lines,  but  there  will  be 
some  who  should  be  properly  introduced.  Moak- 
ley came  to  Cornell  in  1899,  and  since  then  the 
track  teams  have  showed  a  steady  rise  in  quality, 
manifest  particularly  in  their  all-round  excellence 
in  the  varied  events  that  constitute  this  sport,  and 
by  their  great  preeminence  in  distance  running  and 
cross-country.  When  the  Intercollegiate  Track 
Cup  was  first  put  up  for  competition,  in  1904, 
Cornell  teams  had  never  won  an  intercollegiate 
meet.  That  year  the  team  tied  with  Princeton 
for  fourth  place.  But  in  the  following  year  the 
team  won  first  place,  repeated  the  performance 
in  1906,  and  then,  after  an  interim  of  a  year, 
again  in  1908,  next  in  1911  and  finally  in  1914, 
thus  securing  the  fifth  leg  on  the  cup  and  winning 
this  trophy  permanently  for  Cornell.  But  it  must 
not  be  presumed  that  this  final  triumph  for  Cornell 
was  a  foregone  conclusion.  Pennsylvania  had  in 
the  intervening  years  also  secured  four  legs  on  the 
trophy,  and  that  team  also  showed  in  1914  the 
greatest  promise  of  adding  another  victory  to  its 
string.  On  the  other  hand,  Moakley  was  con- 
fronted with  the  task  of  developing  a  championship 
team  out  of  a  squad  that  contained  only  two  of  the 
former  season's  point  winners.  In  the  face  of  such 
a  discouraging  outlook  the  coach  and  the  captain 
set  to  work  determinedly,  developed  every  latent 
talent  in  the  candidates  who  offered  themselves 


Athletics  at  Cornell  317 

for  training,  enthused,  inspired  and  stimulated  the 
men,  so  that  when  the  critical  contest  took  place, 
although  eleven  of  the  twelve  men  who  scored  for 
Cornell  had  never  won  a  point  in  the  Intercolle- 
giates  before,  the  team  nevertheless  won;  defeating 
Pennsylvania,  which  got  second  place,  by  twelve 
points.  Moreover,  this  was  done  by  scoring  in 
eleven  out  of  a  total  of  thirteen  events,  indubitable 
evidence  of  the  work  of  a  well-balanced  team,  not 
that  of  a  few  individual  stars.  This  is  only  another 
way  of  saying  that  as  in  crew,  so  also  in  track, 
Cornell  develops  her  own  representatives,  does  not 
depend  on  recruiting  precocious  schoolboy  talent. 
In  view  of  the  fact,  that  as  reported  by  Moakley 
himself,  "Nearly  every  other  college  Saturday 
(1914)  wanted  to  see  Cornell  win,"  it  seems  almost 
shameful  to  set  down  that  the  Cornell  team  already 
has  four  legs  on  the  new  cup,  acquired  by  winning 
first  place  in  1915,  1916,  1917  and  1919. 

As  has  been  said,  Cornell  track  teams  are  espe- 
cially distinguished  by  their  distance  runners.  The 
continued  excellence  in  such  events  is  commonly 
explained  as  a  response  to  the  effect  of  the  hilly 
topography  of  the  Cornell  region  in  developing 
great  endurance  in  the  track  representatives  of  the 
institution.  Such  a  conclusion  is  hardly  borne  out 
by  the  facts,  one  that  other  college  teams  train  on 
much  more  hilly  courses  than  Cornell's  do;  the 
second,  that  it  seems  evident  that  while  sprinters 
must  be  born  so,  distance  runners  can  be  made. 
In  the  Intercollegiate  Cross-Country  Runs,  Cor- 
nell has,  if  anything,  been  an  even  more  consistent 


318  Concerning  Cornell 

winner  than  in  the  track  meets,  with  seventeen 
team  victories  to  her  credit  in  the  twenty-four 
runs  that  have  been  held  up  to  1924. 

Moakley's  prime  task,  in  addition  to  training 
and  developing  his  men,  seems  to  be  to  inspire 
them  with  confidence  in  their  ability.  Before  the 
meet  in  which  the  first  Intercollegiate  Cup  was 
finally  won,  he  is  reported  to  have  summoned 
Caldwell  and  Hoffmire  to  his  room  and  addressed 
them  as  follows: 

"  Caldwell,  you  have  that  awful  habit  of  staying 
behind  your  man  and  allowing  him  to  make  the 
pace,  so  that  about  the  time  you  are  ready  to  make 
your  bid  the  race  is  over.  I  don't  want  this  to 
happen  this  afternoon.  Go  out  yourself  and  race 
the  boys  off  their  feet.  Keep  in  advance  of  Mere- 
dith by  all  means,  because  he's  liable  to  spring  a 
sprint  near  the  finish.  Of  Brown  I  don't  expect 
much,  but  look  out  for  Meredith.  Stay  in  front 
and  finish  in  front.  You  know  what'll  happen  if 
you  lose. 

"And  see  here  Hoffmire,  the  time  has  arrived 
when  you  can  show  what  a  great  little  runner  you 
are.  Penn  has  McCurdy  fit  and  ready  to  rob  us  of 
five  points.  I  know  we'll  win  if  you  win  the  two- 
mile  race.  It's  all  up  to  you.  You  really  don't 
appreciate  what  a  great  little  man  you  are  today. 
But  imagine  what  you'll  be  in  the  eyes  of  the  ath- 
letic public  if  you  allow  McCurdy  to  beat  you. 
That  must  not  happen.  You  heard  what  I  told 
Caldwell.  That  goes  double  for  you.  We're  out 
to  win  cleanly,  but  you  must  do  your  share. " 


Athletics  at  Cornell  319 

That  his  advice  bore  good  fruit  is  proved  by  the 
fact  that  both  men  won  their  races  in  the  face  of 
determined  competition.  And  that  the  Cornell 
track  victories  are  in  no  slight  degree  due  to 
Moakley's  training  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
the  metropolitan  sporting  writers  acclaim  him  the 
"greatest  track  coach  the  world  has  ever  known." 
It  was  a  deserved  recognition  when  this  Cornell 
sport-mentor  was  made  head-coach  of  the  Ameri- 
can team  at  the  Olympic  Games  in  Antwerp,  1920. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Sharpe's  coming  to 
Cornell,  in  1912,  the  Cornell  football  record  had 
been  one  of  ups  and  downs,  mostly  downs.  Penn- 
sylvania, the  traditional  rival  and  opponent  in  the 
big  game  of  the  year,  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  had 
not  been  humbled  by  defeat  since  1901,  the  inter- 
vening years  had  seen  only  a  tie  game  in  1906, 
the  single  break  in  a  succession  of  discomfitures, 
including  several  disastrous  routs.  Such  a  thing 
as  a  championship  team  was  dreamed  of,  but  not 
hoped  for,  by  several  generations  of  Cornell  under- 
graduates. Nor  was  the  Penn  hoodoo  broken  in 
the  first  year  under  Sharpe,  once  more  the  score 
read  in  the  opponent's  favor,  7  to  2;  during  the 
whole  season  the  team  won  only  three  minor  games 
in  the  ten  played.  But  there  were  signs  of  im- 
provement, the  Penn  score  did  not  reach  the  figures 
it  had  attained  too  often  in  former  years.  Then  in 
1913  came  the  first  real  fruits  of  the  new  regime, 
the  team  won  more  games  than  it  lost,  and  on 
Thanksgiving  Day  it  triumphed  over  Penn  by  a 
score  of  21  to  0. 


320  Concerning  Cornell 

That  this  victory  was  not  a  fluke  became  ap- 
parent in  the  following  season,  1914,  when  the 
team  lost  only  two  of  the  games  played  and  again 
defeated  Pennsylvania,  this  time  by  a  score  of  24 
to  12.  Michigan  also  fell  before  its  attack,  score 
28  to  13.  Now  the  undergraduates  began,  really, 
to  perk  up,  the  song  of  the  "Big  Red  Team": 

Cheer  till  the  sound  wakes  the  blue  hills  around, 

Makes  the  scream  of  the  north  wind  yield 
To  the  strength  of  the  yell,  from  the  men  of 
Cornell 
When  the  Big  Red  Team  takes  the  field, 
Yea!  yea! 
Three  thousand  strong  we  march,  march  along 

From  our  home  of  the  gray  rock  height 
Oh!  the  vict'ry  is  sealed  when  the  team  takes  the 
field 
And  we  cheer  for  the  Red  and  White. 

that  had  seemingly  been  ill-omened  from  the  time 
of  its  introduction,  was  revived  and  apparently  did 
not  dampen  the  ardor  of  the  gridiron  warriors  in 
the  least.  But  the  real  triumph  came  in  1915,  the 
season  that  furnished  forth  an  undefeated  Cornell 
football  team,  champions  of  all,  including  victories 
over  Harvard,  Michigan  and  Pennsylvania,  pre- 
mier honors  for  Cornell  in  the  intercollegiate  foot- 
ball world. 

In  the  spring  of  1919,  after  the  gap  of  the  war 
years,  Dr.  Sharpe  was  called  to  the  position  of 
Director  of  Athletics  at  his  Alma  Mater,  Yale. 
Accordingly  it  has  been  necessary  to  begin  over 
again  in  the  building  up  of  the  football  structure, 


The  Lath  Charles  E.  Courtney   and  Two   Former  Cornell 
Coxswains 


JB^^' 

s* 

"^Sk 

Ti    -       - 

pfe^ 

Photo  <E)  Tro> 


The  SwilfkiNG   Pool  in  Fall  Creek 


Athletics  at  Cornell  321 

both  coaching  staff  and  players.  JohnH.,  "Speedy," 
Rush,  who  had  successfully  coached  Princeton 
teams  for  three  years,  was  placed  in  charge,  but 
he  had  only  four  veterans  of  earlier  teams  in  his 
initial  squad.  It  was,  perhaps,  not  to  be  expected 
that  under  the  circumstances  a  winning  team 
could  be  developed  in  the  first  year.  In  any  event 
the  season  of  1919,  in  view  of  the  pre-war  triumphs 
was  a  most  unhappy  one  and  ended  in  a  24  to  0 
defeat  for  Cornell  by  Pennsylvania. 

Cornell's  long  undisputed,  premier  position  in 
rowing  and  track  athletics  makes  it  evident  that 
the  methods  pursued  in  developing  teams  for 
these  sports  are  the  right  ones,  at  least  for  use 
with  the  material  that  constitutes  the  body  of 
Cornell  men.  While  a  prep  school  star  may  be 
recruited  from  time  to  time  and  later  make  good 
under  the  red  and  white  banner,  it  is  clear  that 
the  greater  number  of  such  individuals  will  con- 
tinue to  enroll  in  those  collegiate  institutions  for 
which  the  particular  preparatory  schools  that 
develop  their  football  talents  are  academically,  as 
well  as  in  the  athletic  field,  feeders  and  adjuncts. 
A  certain  element  among  Cornell  undergraduates 
always  deplores  this,  and  hopes  that  it  is  a  situa- 
tion that  may  be  remedied  by  the  establishing  of 
a  Cornell  football  tradition  on  a  par  with  that  of 
these  other  institutions.  While  it  would  not  be 
fair  to  insist  that  Cornell  will  be  advantaged,  if 
these  youths  with  a  reputation,  never,  in  any  great 
number,  enter  the  institution,  for  some  of  the  few 
that  have  come  have  won  distinction  in  her  halls 


322  Concerning  Cornell 

both  as  athletes  and  scholars;  still  it  should  be 
recognized  that  in  football  Cornell  will  attain,  per- 
manently, a  front  rank  place  only  when  the  same 
kind  of  slow  but  consistent  and  persistent  effort 
is  devoted  to  developing  football  material  as  has 
been,  through  a  long  past,  given  by  coaches  and 
candidates  both  to  the  making  of  crews  and  track 
teams.  In  other  words,  when  undergraduates  and 
management  both  become  reconciled  to  the  fact 
that  Cornell  can  place  no  dependence  on  a  supply 
of  ready  made  material  in  football,  but  must  work 
to  develop  it  themselves  at  Cornell,  then  the 
records  will  show  from  year  to  year  an  undimin- 
ished lustre. 

Such  a  program  has,  indeed,  been  entered  upon 
with  a  large  measure  of  success.  The  long  term  en- 
gagement of  Gilmour  Dobie  to  be  football  coach 
at  Cornell  and  to  look  after  football  exclusively  and 
be  in  residence  the  year  round  in  itself  indicates 
that  the  Athletic  Council  is  appreciative  of  the 
fundamental  difficulty,  and  has  taken  the  proper 
steps  to  meet  it.  It  had  been,  up  to  the  time 
when  this  arrangement  was  made,  unprecedented 
among  eastern  institutions  at  least,  to  have  a  coach 
engaged  to  devote  all  his  time  to  football  and 
to  remain  on  the  job  throughout  the  year.  But 
it  has  been  by  such  concentration  and  application 
to  the  task  that  Courtney  and  Moakley  achieved 
their  successes  and  it  seems  reasonable  to  antici- 


Athletics  at  Cornell  323 

pate  that  the  same  results  can  be  attained  in  other 
branches. 

Certainly,  also,  the  record  of  the  new  coach 
inspires  confidence.  A  college  graduate  and  him- 
self a  player  on  a  championship  Minnesota  team, 
he  has,  since  1906,  successively  coached  at  three 
different  institutions  and  at  all  of  these  has  been 
uniformly  successful.  Indeed,  his  teams  have  the 
extraordinary  record  of  never  losing  a  game.  He 
came  to  Cornell  from  Annapolis.  The  future  should 
be  predicted,  not  on  Dobie's  brilliant  performance, 
but  on  the  degree  in  which  Cornell  followers  of 
football  are  willing  to  work  for  four  years  toward 
the  creation  of  a  squad  of  players  from  all  classes, 
trained  from  the  ground  up,  made  fit  to  become 
football  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  in  their  senior 
years  and  leaving  behind  them  when  they  are 
graduated  a  galaxy  of  all-Cornell  material  to  fill 
their  places  in  succeeding  seasons. 

In  basket-ball  Dr.  Sharpe  was  able  to  turn  out 
a  championship  team  in  the  first  year  of  his  incum- 
bency as  Cornell  coach.  In  following  years  the 
standing  of  the  team  in  the  league  was  not  so  high, 
in  1916-17  it  finished  last.  But  it  got  back  to  sec- 
ond place  in  1923,  and  in  1924  finished  first  under 
the  able  coaching  of  Howard  Ortner,  C.  U.  '19. 

A  championship  title  is  never  definitely  awarded 
in  college  baseball,  but  in  1914  it  was  conceded  that 
the  Red  and  White  team  had  earned  first  place.  In 


324  Concerning  Cornell 

1915,  fourteen  of  the  twenty-six  games  played  were 
won;  in  1916,  thirteen  of  twenty-two,  and  these 
included  the  winning  of  the  three  important  series, 
those  with  Princeton,  Pennsylvania  and  Michigan. 
In  1924  the  team  made  a  better  record  than  it  had 
for  a  number  of  years  past,  winning  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  games  played. 

Another  sport  with  a  paid  coach  at  Cornell  is 
wrestling,  and  its  leader  is  Walter  C.  O'Connell, 
a  Cornell  man  of  the  1911  class.  The  wrestling 
teams,  therefore,  are  all-Cornell  products,  and 
their  record  easily  equals,  if  not  surpasses,  those 
earned  by  the  Cornell  teams  of  other  sports  that 
are  more  in  the  public  eye.  The  wrestling  team 
has  won  the  intercollegiate  championship  six  times 
in  the  eight  years,  including  that  of  the  1917  sea- 
son, that  the  league  had  then  been  in  existence. 
In  1924  Cornell  got  second  place. 

"Where  were  the  other  colleges  while  all  those 
pre-war  championships  were  being  gathered  in  by 
Cornell ?" — the  non-Cornellian  reader  may  well 
ask.  To  answer  and  to  end  this  review  it  may  best 
serve  to  quote  once  more  from  the  New  York  Even- 
ing Mail,  which  evidently  has  had  a  change  in 
heart  since  1911,  for  in  1914,  Grantland  Rice, 
writing  for  its  columns  on  Cornell  athletics  for 
that  year,  said: 

If  Cornell  ever  started  winning  football  champion- 
ships her  case  would  quickly  come  under  the  grip  of 
the  Sherman  anti-trust  law.  For,  in  other  respects — 
on  track,  field  and  water — her  mastery  is  about  com- 
plete.   Not   even   Harvard,    with    her   Brickley   and 


Athletics  at  Cornell  325 

Mahan  in  football,  stands  as  high  in  all-around  ath- 
letic achievement  as  the  Ithacan  stronghold. 

Cornell  undoubtedly  is  better  in  more  athletic 
ways  and  devices  than  any  other  American  university. 
She  carries  a  greater  variety  of  athletic  skill,  and  it's 
just  as  well  that  her  football  machines  are  not  quite  up 
to  her  track  teams  and  her  crews.  Otherwise  there 
would  be  little  intercollegiate  competition. 

Cornell  may  come  in  for  a  bit  of  spoofing  through 
the  fall,  but  all  spoofing  ceases  when  her  runners  reach 
the  track  and  her  crews  reach  for  their  oars.  The 
spoofing  is  then  shifted  to  the  other  side  of  the  hedge. 

In  1915  Cornell  won  the  football  championship, 
and  in  1922,  '23  and  '24  had  undefeated  teams! 

Athletics  are  not  conducted  at  Cornell  to  the 
detriment  of  the  students'  academic  training.  The 
various  coaches  vie  with  the  faculty  in  insisting 
that  the  scholarship  rating  of  the  men  in  the  vari- 
ous squads  be  kept  well  above  the  passing  mark. 
The  faculty  has  ruled  that  a  man  with  conditions 
in  his  studies  may  not  take  part  in  an  intercollegi- 
ate contest.  The  iinderfit  scholar  is  a  poor  candi- 
date for  a  place  on  a  varsity  team,  a  source  of  worri- 
ment  to  the  several  coaches,  and  the  object  of  much 
exhortation,  on  part  of  the  undergraduates  them- 
selves, that  he  keep  up  in  his  studies.  And  if  skill 
in  solving  problems,  no  matter  what  their  nature, 
is  admitted  to  constitute  a  part  of  a  rational  ed- 
ucational system,  then  the  mental  discipline  of 
learning  the  rules  and  science  of  the  various  games 
must  be  considered  as  counting  for  something  in 
the  intellectual  development  of  the  athletic  under- 
graduate. 


326  Concerning  Cornell 

To  the  uninitiated  it  may  appear  that,  although 
the  benefit  of  college  athletics  outweighs  any  hand- 
icap they  may  impose  on  the  men  participating, 
only  a  few  receive  the  training  involved;  that  the 
rest  of  the  undergraduates,  in  vast  majority,  on 
the  other  hand,  idle  away  their  time  as  mere 
spectators  and  rooters  for  the  several  teams. 
Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth  as  far  as 
Cornell  is  concerned.  To  begin  with,  in  order  that 
so  many  aggregations  of  intercollegiate  champion- 
ship calibre  may  be  assembled,  it  is  necessary  that 
a  vast  amount  of  material  be  available  from  which 
the  few  best  men  are  chosen  eventually  to  represent 
the  university  in  a  varsity  team.  A  compilation 
made  in  a  pre-war  year  when  four  thousand  six 
hundred  students  were  regularly  enrolled  in  the 
university  showed  that  fully  one  thousand  men 
were  engaged  in  competition  for  places  on  the 
varsity  and  freshman  teams. 

In  the  varsity  group  the  track  team  brought 
out  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  men;  rowing, 
seven  hundred;  baseball,  sixty;  football,  sixty-five; 
cross-country,  five  hundred;  basket-ball,  fifty-five; 
soccer,  thirty;  hockey,  forty-seven;  swimming, 
twelve;  wrestling,  ninety-five;  fencing,  thirty-five; 
lacrosse,  thirty;  tennis,  twenty,  and  golf,  thirty. 
The  figures  on  freshman  athletics  are :  track  team, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five;  crew,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five;  baseball,  five  hundred;  football, 
ninety-five;  cross-country,  thirty.  That  these 
conditions  have  not  changed  in  the  return  to  nor- 
mal after  the  war  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 


Athletics  at  Cornell  327 

even  more  men  came  out  for  the  several  varsity 
sports  in  1919;  thus  eighty -five  for  football, 
seventy-five  for  baseball  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  for  wrestling,  figures  which  happen  to  be 
at  hand. 

In  addition  to  the  one  thousand  and  more  men 
engaged  in  varsity  and  freshman  athletics  the 
system  of  intercollege  games  established  at  Cornell 
a  number  of  years  ago,  and  which  has  gained 
popularity,  brought  another  thousand  men  actively 
into  athletics  not  of  the  varsity  type.  The  inter- 
college system  provides  an  opportunity  for  athletic 
rivalry  between  the  various  colleges  that  make  up 
the  university.  Drill  at  Cornell  is  compulsory  for 
freshmen  and  sophomore  students  and  approxi- 
mately two  thousand  men  are  required  to  pursue 
military  training  three  hours  a  week. 

In  addition  to  the  forms  of  athletics  already 
mentioned  it  is  assumed  that  more  than  two  hun- 
dred men  take  part  in  the  interfraternity  contests 
such  as  baseball,  football,  bowling  and  tennis. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  some  students  take 
part  in  more  than  one  branch  of  athletics  during 
the  year;  in  the  tabulations  above  there  are,  there- 
fore, duplications,  but  it  is  fair  to  assume  that 
the  number  of  undergraduates  who  during  the 
year  get  exercise  in  one  way  or  another  reaches 
the  four  thousand  mark. 

From  this  it  will  be  appreciated  that  the  new 
student  at  Cornell  finds  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
physical  exercise.  If  he  has  the  latent  ability,  and 
the  willingness  to  work,  and  can  also  keep  up  in 


328  Concerning  Cornell 

his  studies,  he  can  as  easily  make  a  varsity  team 
and  "win  his  C."  Preparatory  school  reputations 
count  for  little  or  nothing  unless  backed  up  by  per- 
formance of  unusual  quality  in  competition  with 
other  candidates,  nor  do  social  connections  influ- 
ence the  coaches  in  their  choice  of  men.  As  each 
season  opens  there  is  an  urgent  call  for  candidates 
for  the  sport,  and  the  larger  the  squad  that  reports 
the  happier  are  those  in  charge  of  it.  If  the  frater- 
nity men  predominate  in  the  number  of  the  "C" 
men  it  is  for  two  reasons.  One,  that  each  frater- 
nity urges  every  possible  eligible  man  in  its  group 
to  "come  out";  and  after  he  is  in  training  gives 
him  moral  support  and  encouragement  during  the 
strenuous  competition  that  ensues.  This  is  per- 
haps the  greatest  handicap  of  the  independent;  he 
has  no  organized  group  of  undergraduate  inti- 
mates interested  in  his  personal  efforts  to  win  a 
place,  consequently  he  often  becomes  disheart- 
ened and  quits  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle,  or  is 
unsystematic  in  his  training.  If  the  independent 
has  the  will-power  to  keep  persistently  at  it  by 
himself  and  develops  the  necessary  ability,  he  is 
assured  of  a  position  on  the  team.  In  fact,  it  is 
more  than  likely  that  he  will  be  preferred  of  two 
candidates,  one  a  fraternity  man,  the  other  not, 
for  the  latter  is  under  the  influence  only  of  the 
coach,  and  therefore  will,  perhaps,  respond  more 
promptly  to  that  leader's  suggestions.  The  second 
reason  for  the  preponderance  of  fraternity  men 
among  the  varsity  athletes  is  that  athletic  success 
is  almost  sure  to  gain  a  man  one  or  more  bids  to 


Athletics  at  Cornell  329 

join  a  fraternity.  If  so,  the  independent  who  has 
won  such  success  will  find  that  it  requires  as  much 
will-power  to  resist  the  fond  embraces  of  the  fra- 
ternity "rushing  teams"  as  it  did  to  work  by  him- 
self for  athletic  laurels. 

One  of  the  evils  charged  against  college  ath- 
letics is  the  amount  of  money  spent  in  fostering 
such  sports,  and  the  consequent  necessity  of  secur- 
ing large  gate  receipts,  particularly  from  football 
games,  to  pay  the  bill.  There  would  be  little  ex- 
cuse for  bringing  up  this  question  in  these  pages  if 
it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  Cornell's  superior 
position  in  intercollegiate  competition  of  necessity 
puts  her  among  the  institutions  that  must  have  the 
system  highly  developed.  Figures  published  be- 
fore the  war  showed  that  Harvard,  in  1914,  spent 
$160,000;  Yale,  $100,000;  while  Cornell  ranked 
third  with  expenditures  of  only  $75,000.  Again, 
only  four  hundred  men  at  Harvard  then  engaged 
in  intercollegiate  athletics,  so  that  each  man  cost 
about  $400  per  annum  to  keep  in  competition.  As 
has  been  suggested,  most  of  this  money  comes  from 
the  receipts  of  football  games,  a  source  from  which 
Harvard  derived  $84,713  in  profits  in  the  1913 
season.  At  Cornell  the  revenue  from  football  was 
not  nearly  so  great,  only  about  $10,000  in  the  same 
year.  In  the  several  post-war  years  the  enormous- 
ness  of  the  gate  receipts  at  the  Harvard- Yale 
games  has  been  the  theme  of  much  newspaper 
comment.  Cornell  students,  despite  such  evident 
disparity  in  amount  of  admission  money  got  from 
the  public  are,  nevertheless,  not  compelled  to  buy 


330  Concerning  Cornell 

season  tickets  to  the  games  as  is  the  practice  at 
some  institutions.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to 
depend  on  the  voluntary  purchase  of  season 
tickets  to  supply  a  large  part  of  the  funds.  A 
more  picturesque  method  of  making  up  part  of 
the  deficiency  is  the  undergraduate  staging  of  the 
"Spring  Day"  circus. 

To  revert  to  the  original  question:  the  specific 
objections  to  the  raising  of  so  much  money  for 
athletic  purposes  are  that  it  tends  to  commercialize 
the  college  sports;  and  second,  that  too  small  a  per- 
centage of  the  students  take  part  in  the  games,  the 
money  being  spent  in  the  highly  specialized  train- 
ing of  a  few  exceptional  performers,  while  the  rest 
of  the  undergraduate  body  is  physically  neglected. 
The  answer  to  the  first  objection  is  that  football, 
the  money-maker,  is  about  the  only  sport  into 
which  professionalism  has  not  intruded,  and  is  not 
likely  to  intrude.  "The  public  can  have  its  fill  of 
baseball  all  summer  long.  It  can  see  noncollegiate 
track  and  field  athletics,  hockey,  swimming,  wrest- 
ling and  rowing.  But  it  can  get  the  thrill  of  foot- 
ball only  in  the  shadow  of  our  seats  of  learning  and 
in  an  atmosphere  of  mellow  scholasticism  and  rigid 
amateurism.  The  roughest  of  our  sports  is  thus  at 
once  the  most  exclusive  and  the  most  alluring," 
says  the  New  York  Tribune.  It  would  remain  so 
even  if  the  box-office  receipts  were  dispensed  with. 
Such  being  the  case  it  is  not  unfair  that  the  public 
should  pay  for  providing  proper  training  and  care 
for  the  students  that  furnish  the  spectacle.  This 
applies  to  the  coaching  and  medical  staff;  the  high- 


Athletics  at  Cornell  331 

priced  and  elaborate  business  organization  of 
athletic  affairs  is  necessary  because  of  the  way  in 
which  the  money  must  be  got.  With  reference  to 
the  charge  that  only  a  small  percentage  of  students 
participate  in  the  advantages  for  athletic  training 
purchased  by  this  money;  the  answer  is  that  at 
Cornell,  at  least,  the  charge  is  not  founded  on  fact. 
In  addition  to  the  figures  quoted  in  earlier  para- 
graphs, it  may  suffice  here  to  set  down  that  an 
investigation  made  in  1915  showed  that  ninety- 
two  and  five-tenths  per  cent  of  all  the  undergrad- 
uate men  at  Cornell  participated  in  some  directed 
physical  exercise.  Half  of  the  four  thousand  in- 
dividuals that  this  percentage  includes,  are,  to  be 
sure,  receiving  physical  training  under  instruction 
supplied  by  university  funds,  but  it  is  quite  notable 
that  the  interest  in  athletic  sports  accounts  for  the 
other  half.  One  other  criticism  of  college  athletics 
is  that  there  are  too  many  intercollegiate  contests 
scheduled  for  each  team.  If  so,  at  Cornell  the 
remedy  is  in  the  hands  of  the  faculty  which  has  a 
committee  that  must  ratify  all  schedules  of  athletic 
events,  and  this  body  is  rather  insistent  that  no 
individual  shall  be  absent  from  the  university 
during  instruction  periods  for  more  than  two  or 
three  days  during  a  term  for  the  purpose  of  playing 
in  an  outside  game.  In  that  respect,  at  any  rate, 
the  evil  can  not,  therefore,  be  very  serious. 

It  remains  to  say  a  word  about  the  gala  athletic 
days  of  the  year.  In  the  fall,  from  one  to  three 
football  games,  important  enough  to  attract  a 
horde  of  visitors,  are  scheduled  at  Ithaca.    Of  late 


332  Concerning  Cornell 

years,  with  the  substantial  and  ample  accommoda- 
tions provided  by  the  new  Schoellkopf  Stadium,  the 
setting  for  these  events  has  been  entirely  fitting, 
a  thing  that  was  lacking  when  the  games  were 
played  on  Percy  Field,  down-town.  Now  the  spec- 
tator finds  himself  or  herself  in  the  midst  of  college 
halls,  no  incongruous  evidence  of  the  world  of 
business  is  visible,  the  whole  scene  is  "in  atmos- 
phere." To  the  right  and  left  are  close-packed 
rows  of  a  gaily-attired  football  crowd,  below 
is  the  white-chalked  field  and  its  plunging  war- 
riors; while  in  the  waits  between  the  periods 
there  is  spread  before  the  visitors'  eyes  a  wide  pan- 
orama of  hill  and  hollow,  all  decked  in  the  glorious 
color  enchantments  of  a  deciduous  forest  autumn. 
The  football  season  provides  the  kindest  weather 
of  the  year;  on  the  day  of  a  game  one  can 
usually  count  on  a  mellow  October  sun  shining 
down  through  a  golden  haze  during  the  contest, 
and  sinking  as  a  great  ball  of  red  fire  to  mark  its 
end.  Those  who  come  once  to  see  a  Cornell  game 
at  Ithaca,  have,  therefore,  immediately  an  intense 
yearning  to  come  again.  At  Thanksgiving  time 
it  is  the  great  ambition  of  each  undergraduate  to 
be  at  Philadelphia  for  the  Pennsylvania  game; 
such  a  trip  may,  indeed,  be  termed  the  great  dissi- 
pation of  the  school  year.  Cornell  undergraduates 
are  not  accustomed  to  prance  off  to  a  big  city  to 
"see  a  show"  or  indulge  themselves  in  the  other 
kindred  attractions  of  a  great  center  of  population, 
the  big  cities  are  too  far  away.    Hence  the  planning 


Athletics  at  Cornell  333 

for  it,  and  the  great  anticipation  of  the  "trip  to 
Philly." 

In  the  vernal  season  there  are  usually  several 
baseball  games  with  rivals  of  such  reputation  as 
to  attract  large  crowds,  but  the  crowning  day  of 
the  year  is  Navy  Day.  This  has  been  made  a 
university  holiday  and  is  celebrated  sometime  near 
the  end  of  May,  when  the  weather  becomes  settled, 
warm  and  fine.  In  the  morning  there  is  the  Spring 
Day  circus,  in  the  afternoon  a  big  baseball  game 
and  after  that  the  regatta  on  Cayuga.  The  last 
provides  the  most  animated  and  picturesque  of  the 
Cornell  athletic  spectacles.  Long  before  the  sched- 
uled time  of  the  races,  a  dozen  fleets  seem  suddenly 
to  have  been  born  on  the  lake,  as  innumerable 
craft;  row-  and  motor-boats,  canoes,  sail-boats  and 
excursion  steamers  all  ply  their  way  to  the  end 
of  the  course.  Then  the  long  moving  grandstand, 
the  observation  train,  comes  puffing  along  down 
the  shore,  a  two-headed  beast,  having  an  engine 
at  each  end.  Near  evening,  patrol  boats  clear  the 
course,  but  still  the  wind  keeps  up  and  the  shells 
fail  to  appear.  The  sun,  with  evident  mindfulness 
of  the  deficiencies  of  Nature,  does  his  best  to  offset 
the  difficulty  by  painting  a  tremendous  sunset  on 
the  western  sky.  It  comes  to  dusk,  the  wind- 
chopped  sea  persists.  Spectators  become  restless. 
The  more  provident  bring  forth  lunches,  delectable 
bits  of  food,  seemingly  fit  for  the  gods,  at  least  that 
is  the  way  these  lunches  appeal  to  those  who  have 
not  been  so  foresighted.  Soon  little  bonfires  show 
beacon-like  flames  all  along  the  steep  slope  of  the 


334  Concerning  Cornell 

lake  front,  and  cast  a  lurid  light  on  the  waters 
below.  Finally,  at  eight  o'clock,  the  wind  abates, 
slow,  oily  swells  replace  the  choppy  sea,  and  the 
crews  put  in  an  appearance.  They  start;  the  obser- 
vation train  rolls  along  thunderously,  with  engine 
bells  clanging,  suiting  its  speed  to  that  of  the  racing 
shells.  Excursion  boats  careen  dangerously  as  the 
hoarse  bellowing  of  the  coxswains  announces  the 
approach  of  the  flying  racers  from  out  of  the  gloom. 
They  pass,  thin  black  streaks  filled  with  rhythmic- 
ally-swaying figures,  and  one  catches  the  steady 
beat  of  the  oars. 

A  faint  cheer  announces  that  the  line  has  been 
crossed;  but  by  now  it  is  so  dark  that  only  those 
who  are  stationed  at  the  very  finish  can  see  who  is 
victorious.  Yet  every  Cornellian  is  sufficiently 
happy  when  the  red  and  white  is  announced  the 
winner. 

Between  the  actual  contests  there  are  athletic 
rallies  of  varied  kinds.  Their  chief  purpose,  how- 
ever, is  to  encourage  students  to  try  out  for  various 
teams.  Usually  also,  there  are  "send  offs"  when 
the  undergraduates  march  to  the  railroad  stations 
to  bid  good  luck  and  a  victorious  outcome  to  a 
team  that  is  to  meet  an  opponent  on  a  foreign 
field.  Similarly  the  large  and  living  loyalty  to 
Cornell  and  Cornell  athletic  representatives  finds 
expression  when  the  students  gather  again  "to 
meet  the  team  "  on  its  return.  Whether  they  come 
as  conquerors  or  conquered,  it  matters  not,  there 
is  always  a  crowd  to  welcome  those  who  fought  well 
for  Cornell's  fame  abroad.     While  these  occasions 


Athletics  at  Cornell  335 

are  part  of  the  athlete's  reward  for  self-sacrifice 
and  devotion  to  training,  the  crowning  salvo  of 
applause  and  public  recognition  of  athletic  dis- 
tinction comes  at  the  "Junior  Smoker,"  when  the 
"Varsity  (7s "  are  awarded  to  those  who  have 
won  such  laurels,  with  much  speech  making  and 
general  jollification  at  a  great  gathering  held  in 
the  Drill  Hall. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

INSTRUCTION 

THE  present  age  may  be  characterized  as  one 
of  accomplishment  in  contrast  with  the  longer 
epoch  of  appreciation  that  preceded  it.  The  point 
of  view  of  the  modern  world  is  essentially  differ- 
ent from  that  of  several  generations  ago.  In  the 
world  of  letters  this  difference  is  quite  apparent 
in  that  the  writing  of  the  younger  authors  is 
marked  by  an  almost  entire  absence  of  the  quota- 
tions and  literary  allusions  so  abundant  in  the 
works  of  an  earlier  school.  Intelligent  persons 
nowadays  are  not  versed  in  the  classics,  despite  a 
"five  foot  shelf  of  books"  and  similar  expedients, 
hence  quotations  from  these,  however  apt,  afford 
but  little  pleasure.  Still  less  patience  would  be 
shown  for  what  our  forefathers  were  pleased  to 
term  "the  feast  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul." 
We  are  credibly  informed  that  at  the  bicenten- 
nial celebration  of  the  founding  of  Harvard,  in 
1836,  there  was  speech  making,  with  interruptions 
only  to  eat,  from  ten  in  the  morning  until  eight  at 
night;  and  the  audiences,  made  up  of  the  same 
individuals,  were  held  rapt  and  attentive  for  all 
that  time.  Today  the  saying  is  "No  souls  are 
saved  after  the  first  twenty  minutes."  We  are 
ambitious  to  do  and  think  for  ourselves  rather 
than  take  pleasure  in  the  thoughts  and  actions  of 
others.  Therefore  we  have  "education  for  effi- 
ciency. M 


Tiik  Late  Charles  E.  Courtney 


Instruction  337 

And  yet  we  may  suspect  that  education,  at 
least  as  represented  by  the  acquirement  of  a  col- 
lege degree,  continues  to  be  sought  after  for  the 
same  reason  that  Ruskin  expressed  as  a  desire  "to 
ring  with  confidence  the  visitors'  bell  at  double- 
belled  doors. "  Modernized,  this  amounts  to  say- 
ing that  many  students  in  attendance  at  our  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  are  only  so  ignobly 
ambitious  as  to  hope  that  the  attainment  of  a  di- 
ploma will  make  them  bold  to  knock  at  any  man's 
door  unafraid.  Ruskin  makes  this  idea  synony- 
mous with  education  for  "advancement  in  life, "  or 
as  we  put  it,  education  for  efficiency.  Yet,  a  very 
real  distinction  may  be  drawn  between  Ruskin's 
education  for  advancement  in  life  and  our  educa- 
tion for  efficiency.  Education  for  efficiency  in  its 
ultimate  phase  is  vocational  training.  One  may 
quarrel  whether  this  should  have  a  place  in  insti- 
tutions of  higher  learning,  but  of  its  practical  value 
to  the  individual  and  to  the  community  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  There  exists,  however,  today,  at 
Cornell,  and  elsewhere,  a  large  group  of  under- 
graduates, it  would  not  be  right  to  call  them  stu- 
dents, that  desires  neither  an  education  for  effi- 
ciency nor  one  that  "in  itself  is  advancement  in 
life,"  Ruskin's  expression  for  true  scholarship. 
Such  undergraduates  require  rather  a  wordy  famil- 
iarity with  culture;  an  opportunity  to  test  what 
manner  of  men  the  faculties,  "professors, "  are;  and 
after  four  years  of  superficial  connection  with  learn- 
ing, in  which  they  secure  a  mite  of  elementary 
knowledge  in  many  subjects  and,  perhaps  vicar- 


338 


Concerning  Cornell 


iously,  a  plenitude  of  athletics;  to  have  the  hall 
mark  of  the  institution  put  on  them  in  the  matter 
of  a  degree,  for  this  serves  "  to  identify  you. "  This 
is  the  class  of  persons  that  Ruskin,  no  doubt,  had  in 
mind  when  he  wrote  of  seeking  education  for  ad- 
vancement in  life.  Between  them  and  the  earn- 
est students  in  the  professional  schools  there  ex- 
ists a  wide  gulf  of  difference.  It  is  the  student  who 
wishes  to  put  into  practice  and  to  enlarge  upon 
what  he  has  learned  that  Cornell  seeks  to  enroll, 
and  not  the  man  who  desires  primarily  to  be  iden- 
tified by  her  diploma. 

When  Ezra  Cornell  in  his  opening  address  at 
the  inaugural  ceremonies  of  the  university  said: 
"I  hope  we  have  laid  the  foundations  of  an  insti- 
tution which  shall  combine  practical  with  liberal 
education,  which  shall  fit  the  youth  of  our  country 
for  the  professions,  the  farms,  the  mines,  the  man- 
ufactories, for  the  investigations  of  science,  and  for 
mastering  all  the  practical  questions  of  life  with  suc- 
cess and  honor;"  he  expressed  as  tersely  as  maybe 

the  whole  spirit 
and  purpose  of  the 
institution.  The 
keynote  of  the 
statement  is  "prac- 
tical with  liberal 
education."  In 
the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences 
Cornell  has  pro- 

ENTRANCE,   RAND   HALL,   NIGHT  Vlded     IOr     the     aCl- 


Instruction  339 

vancement  of  pure  learning;  the  other  colleges  are 
professional  schools,  the  training  they  offer  is  for 
an  object  directly  in  view.  They  do,  however, 
also  contribute  to  the  advancement  of  knowledge, 
if  not  along  academic  lines,  then  in  research  both 
pure  and  applied.  Indeed  the  faculty  of  the  Agri- 
cultural College  have  felt  that  their  courses  so  truly 
combine  the  practical  with  the  liberal  education 
as  to  warrant  their  bestowing  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Science  without  a  limiting  clause.  However, 
much  of  the  work  that  the  Agricultural  College 
faculty  requires  of  its  undergraduates  is  in  the 
same  subjects  that  the  College  of  Arts  and  Science 
includes  and,  in  fact,  in  courses  offered  by  that 
faculty.  The  same  relation  prevails,  though  in  a 
lesser  degree,  in  the  case  of  the  other  professional 
schools.  Each  one  is  dependent  on  the  Arts  College 
in  a  greater  or  less  measure.  Thus  regular  four- 
year  students  in  the  College  of  Agriculture  are  re- 
quired to  take  courses  in  English,  Chemistry,  Geol- 
ogy, Physics  and  Political  Science  in  the  Arts  Col- 
lege. The  Civil  Engineers  take  a  number  of 
courses  in  Mathematics,  Physics,  Chemistry  and 
Economics;  Veterinary  College  students,  Chem- 
istry; the  Law  students,  Economics  and  other 
elective  subjects.  The  Medical  College  is  a  gradu- 
ate school  and  requires  the  Arts  degree  or  its  equiv- 
alent for  entrance.  From  this  enumeration  it  will 
be  appreciated  that  the  Arts  College  with  its  lib- 
eral studies  is  the  nucleus  around  which  the  profes- 
sional schools  have  developed.  Again,  while  the 
Arts  College  students  are  required  to  give  approx- 


;uo  Concerning  Cornell 

imately  four-fifths  of  their  time  during  the  first 
three  years  of  their  course  to  subjects  in  their  own 
college,  they  may  freely  elect  subjects  in  other  col- 
leges to  make  up  the  rest  of  their  schedules  of  study 
during  those  years.  Moreover,  they  may  devote 
the  whole  of  the  senior  year  to  study  in  the  pro- 
fessional schools  and  still  be  eligible  for  the  Arts 
degree.  Cornell  provides  liberal  with  practical 
education,  it  is  a  university  where,  in  accordance 
with  Ezra  Cornell's  ideal,  "any  person  can  find  in- 
struction in  any  study"  an  ideal  he  probably  never 
hoped  could  be  so  nearly  realized  in  the  short  time 
that  has  elapsed  since  the  founding.  Yet  the  vari- 
ous faculties,  without  putting  unnecessary  obsta- 
cles athwart  Ezra  Cornell's  idea  of  any  person,  any 
study,  have  found  it  possible  to  insist  on  certain 
requirements  and  to  restrict  the  choice  of  electives 
in  such  manner  as  will  insure  a  consistent  and  prof- 
itable course  of  study  for  each  student  who  is  a 
candidate  for  a  degree. 

Much  has  been  written  in  late  years  about  the 
value  of  a  college  education.  In  these  discussions 
the  emphasis  is  put  altogether  too  much  on  com- 
parison of  the  business  successes,  judged  by  relative 
earning  ability,  of  the  trained  and  untrained  man. 
A  favorite  device  is  to  gather  statistics  of  this  na- 
ture by  sending  a  list  of  queries  to  representative 
employers  asking:  Do  you  prefer  college  gradu- 
ates for  positions  in  your  business?  Are  the  college 
men  more  capable?  In  your  experience  are  college 
men  more  generally  successful?  and  others  of  the 
same  tenor.  But  seldom,  or  never,  is  there  included 


Instruction  341 

a  question  regarding  the  effect  of  the  college  man's 
presence  on  the  general  welfare  of  the  community. 
Why  not  rather  judge  the  graduates  by  answers 
that  would  be  received  in  reply  to  such  queries  as : 
What  has  the  college  man  done  for  political  uplift 
and  social  betterment  in  your  vicinity?  On  this 
basis,  it  would  seem  that  the  education  which  Rus- 
kin  said  "in  itself  is  advancement  in  life"  is  best. 
If  the  narrow  criterion  of  business  success,  that 
is  now  applied  so  exclusively,  could  be  done  away 
with  as  a  sole  basis  for  judging  the  worth  of  a  man's 
life,  the  college  man  would  push  even  more  rapidly 
to  the  front.  The  graduates  of  such  institutions 
as  the  universities  of  Wisconsin  and  Cornell,  in  the 
degree  in  which  they  have  taken  advantage  of 
the  instruction  offered,  must  needs  be  informed, 
capable  of  intelligent  judgment,  and  apt  to  take  a 
nonpartisan  attitude  in  public  affairs.  But  even 
when  earning  ability  is  made  the  only  standard, 
college  men  have  quite  generally  measured  up  to 
expectations.  In  places  where  mere  shrewdness 
determines  advancement  it  is  of  course  not  to  be 
expected  that  the  university  graduate  will  make 
as  good  a  showing  as  the  man  from  the  so-called 
school  of  hard  knocks.  Perhaps  it  is  true,  as  has 
been  stated  in  a  criticism  of  the  college  of  today, 
that  students  have  too  many  aids,  too  much  appa- 
ratus and  assistance  in  their  work,  and  that  be- 
cause of  this  are  not  as  resourceful  as  they  should 
be.  But  it  must  not  be  imagined  that  at  Cornell, 
at  least,  the  student  is  in  any  way  pampered.  In 
fact  the  requirements  both  for  admission  and  grad- 


342  Concerning  Cornell 

uation  are  constantly  being  made  more  difficult 
of  fulfillment. 

It  is  no  longer  possible  to  enter  Cornell  Univer- 
sity as  a  candidate  for  a  degree  without  having 
requisite  preparation.  Formerly  students  were 
often  admitted  with  one  or  more  "conditions," 
which  they  were  required  to  make  up  within  a 
specified  period.  This  is  no  longer  permitted. 
Moreover,  after  he  has  been  registered  as  an  under- 
graduate the  student  must  be  able  to  complete  suc- 
cessfully from  term  to  term  all  the  courses  specified 
by  the  faculty  of  the  particular  professional  college 
he  may  have  entered,  or  if  he  enters  the  Arts  Col- 
lege, satisfy  quite  definite  requirements  both  as  to 
the  amount  and  character  of  his  studies.  The  con- 
ditions in  regard  to  the  character  of  studies  are  such 
as  will  insure  that  the  student  will  get  the  broad 
and  liberal  training  that  the  degree  of  the  College 
symbolizes.  Free  election  of  all  sorts  of  elementary 
courses,  which  formerly  resulted  in  very  large  classes 
in  those  that  had  the  reputation  of  being  easy,  is  no 
longer  permitted.  The  student  is  allowed  a  choice 
but  he  must  elect  enough  work  in  a  subject  to  in- 
sure his  getting  more  than  a  mere  smattering  of  its 
content  and  he  must  include  a  wide  enough  variety 
of  studies  to  avoid  narrow  specialization  in  his 
first  two  years.  Some  work  in  each  the  groups 
English  and  history,  a  foreign  language,  philoso- 
phy and  mathematics  and  in  one  or  more  of  the 
sciences  is  prescribed.  Members  of  the  faculty 
advise  each  student  in  making  a  rational  choice. 
In  his  upperclass  years  he  must  elect  from  certain 


Instruction  343 

groups  of  studies  one  in  which  he  will  do  his  prin- 
cipal work  and  himself  choose  a  professor  in  that 
group  to  guide  his  choices  and  consult  with  him  in 
regard  to  courses.  In  all  the  student  must  pass 
one  hundred  and  twenty  hours  of  work  and  with 
satisfactory  grades;  conditioned  courses  do  not 
count  for  graduation.  If  his  standing  in  any  one 
term  is  unsatisfactory  he  is  not  permitted  to 
register  for  the  next  term  unless  the  poor  stand- 
ing is  due  to  ill  health  or  other  causes  not  in 
the  control  of  the  student.  If  he  is  allowed  to 
continue  after  such  excuses,  or  if  later  reinstated, 
neither  any  part  of  the  work  nor  the  residence 
of  the  unsatisfactory  term  is  counted  toward 
his  degree.  Substantially  similar  regulations 
govern  the  work  in  the  professional  colleges. 
These  rules  will  indicate  the  discouragements  from 
loafing  or  unsystematic  study  at  Cornell. 

Instruction  is  given  in  lectures,  by  laboratory 
practice  and  in  recitation  classes.  Advanced  stu- 
dents in  any  subject  also  take  part  in  seminary 
discussions  and  do  research  work.  Perhaps  the 
major  part  of  the  instruction  is  in  the  form  of  one 
hour  lectures.  The  professor,  more  or  less  formally, 
discusses  the  subject  point  by  point  while  the  stu- 
dents take  notes.  Usually  text-book  study  is  as- 
signed to  round  out  the  discussion  and  to  furnish 
the  concise  definitions  necessary.  In  addition,  a 
variety  of  reference  readings  is  often  required. 
It  is  presumed  that  each  hour  of  classroom  in- 
struction will  entail  at  least  two  hours  outside 
study  on  the  part  of  the  average  student.    As  a 


344  Concerning  Cornell 

matter  of  fact  few  courses  are  given  that  much  out- 
side time  regularly  through  the  term  by  under- 
graduates. Special  interest  in,  or  difficulty  with,  a 
particular  subject  may,  however,  result  in  some 
individuals  giving  even  more  hours  to  that  topic. 
But  the  great  defect  of  the  lecture  system  is  the 
fact  that  it  fosters  the  natural  tendency  of  stu- 
dents to  procrastinate.  When  they  close  their 
note-books  at  the  end  of  a  lecture  most  undergrad- 
uates are  prone  to  dismiss  the  subject  from  their 
minds  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  class,  putting 
off  conning  of  notes,  study  of  the  text  and  refer- 
ence reading  until  just  preceding  the  preliminary 
and  final  examinations.  In  most  subjects  classes 
are  scheduled  to  meet  either  three  or  five  times  per 
week  and,  although  some  come  together  only  once 
or  twice  in  the  same  period,  it  may  readily  be  ap- 
preciated that  neglected  work  even  in  such  classes 
rapidly  accumulates  and  becomes  increasingly 
difficult  to  assimilate. 

The  apparent  remedy  for  the  inadequacy  of  the 
lecture  system  at  Cornell  is  more  recitation  classes. 
At  lectures  the  professor  is  continually  pouring  out 
information  and,  with  the  exception  of  preliminary 
examinations  which  come  only  at  intervals,  there 
is  little  opportunity  for  the  student  to  reproduce 
what  has  been  learned,  and  none  to  discuss  the 
subject  with  instructors.  The  university  has  not, 
however,  enough  income  to  provide  for  recitation 
sections  in  the  majority  of  courses,  though  they 
are  held  in  some.  Here  is  the  greatest  need  of 
Cornell — more  money  for  a  general  endowment  to 


Instruction  346 

provide  higher  salaries  for  the  existing  faculty  and 
to  make  possible  the  appointment  of  an  adequate 
number  of  instructors  to  conduct  recitation  classes 
with  only  a  few  students  in  each  section.  Such 
recitation  classes  would  provide  the  personal  con- 
tact of  instructor  and  student  that  is  so  desirable 
and  would  insure  that  students  keep  up  with  their 
work  throughout  the  term.  But  it  would  not  serve 
to  have  low-salaried,  mediocre  men  in  such  posi- 
tions. They  must  be  competent  in  their  subjects, 
of  forceful  personality,  able  to  win  and  hold  the 
respect  of  the  undergraduates.  If  Cornell  could 
have  leaders  in  the  different  fields  of  learning  occu- 
pying lecture  chairs  and  could  supplement  their 
teaching  with  personal  instruction  given  by  prom- 
ising younger  thinkers  and  investigators,  she 
would  make  an  immense  stride  forward.  This  is 
not  a  new  idea:  in  fact  it  was  the  actual  practice 
in  the  early  days  of  the  institution  when  Louis 
Agassiz,  Goldwin  Smith,  James  Russell  Lowell  and 
George  William  Curtis  were  numbered  among  the 
nonresident  professors  who  gave  courses  of  lec- 
tures while  younger  men  carried  on  the  routine 
of  instruction  in  their  various  departments. 

Securing  funds  for  general  endowment  is  prob- 
ably the  most  difficult  task  attaching  to  university 
administration  because  the  donor  of  such  moneys 
can  realize  nothing  tangible  from  his  gift.  When 
a  building  is  given  it  usually  also  carries  the 
name  of  the  benefactor  or  some  person  whom  he 
wishes  honored  by  a  memorial.  Indeed  gifts  of 
this  nature,  while  providing  for  the  material  ex- 


346  Concerning  Cornell 

pansion  of  the  university,  handicap  its  intellectual 
growth.  The  new  structures  provide  accommoda- 
tions for  the  growing  number  of  students  but  they 
also  add  to  the  heavy  burden  of  maintenance  and, 
by  necessitating  a  larger  number  of  instructors, 
tend  to  bring  about  a  general  reduction  of  salaries, 
with  the  result  that  the  best  professors  are  attracted 
away  from  Cornell  by  the  substantially  larger  pay 
offered  by  other  institutions. 

Nevertheless  a  start  has  been  made  m  the 
matter   of  providing  for  this   need.    The   Semi- 
centennial Endowment  Campaign  had  succeeded 
by  the  middle  of  1920  in  securing  subscriptions  for 
five  millions  of  dollars  for  the  general  endowment 
fund  and  at  Commencement  in  the  same  year  the 
gift  by  August  Hecksher  of  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  the  promotion  of  research  in  science 
was  announced.    It  is  sincerely  to  be  hoped  that 
the  opportunity  to  help  Cornell  will  have  a  strong 
appeal  to  men  of  wealth  who  care  more  for  doing 
practical  good  with  their  money  than  for  having 
their  names,  or  those  of  a  relative  or  of  some  ad- 
mirable personage,  appear  over  the  portals  ot  a 
university  structure.    The  Medical  College  of  Cor- 
nell was  for  years  supported  by  one  man  without 
publicity  for  himself.    If  publicity  is  desired  a 
much  greater  dignity  attaches  to  the  endowment 
of  a  professorship  than  to  naming  a  monument  of 

stone  or  brick. 

Furthermore  the  success  of  Cornell  in  combin- 
ing liberal  with  practical  education  can  not  fail  to 
appeal  to  benefactors  who,  while  recognizing  the 


Instruction 


347 


value  of  pure  scholarship,  nevertheless  realize  that 
this  is  a  work-a-day  world  and  that  the  majority 
of  students  are  not  fitted  to  become  intellectual 
leaders  or  research  workers. 

The  splendid  laboratory  facilities  of  Cornell  are 
one  of  her  greatest  assets.  Laboratory  practice 
has  always  been  a  very  essential  feature  in  the 
scheme  of  instruction,  especially  in  the  scientific 
and  technical  departments.  By  common  consent 
lecture  and  recitation  classes  are  nearly  all  sched- 
uled in  morning  hours  leaving  the  afternoons  free 
for  laboratory  periods.  The  work  and  experiments 
assigned  in  the  laboratories  are  of  such  nature  as 
to  familiarize  the  student  with  the  material  of  the 


UPPER   CA8CADILLA   GORGE,    WINTER 

subject,  its  apparatus  and  methods,  teach  him  to 
observe  and  make  deductions  as  to  the  significance 
of  phenomena  and  to  collect  data  for  the  writing 
of  a  report  on  what  was  done  and  the  results 


348  Concerning  Cornell 

obtained.  The  purpose  of  excursions  afield  in  the 
natural  history  subjects  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
laboratory  practice  in  that  it  consists  of  observa- 
tion and  the  collection  of  data  and  materials, 
and  in  that  the  field  notes  are  made  the  basis 
for  an  extended  report  written  subsequently.  In 
both  cases  the  time  spent  in  class  is  usually  two 
and  one-half  hours,  while  from  one  to  three  or 
more  hours  at  home  are  required  for  writing  the 
report.  In  some  cases,  however,  the  equivalent  of 
laboratory  periods  is  devoted  to  what  is  essentially 
manual  training,  thus  mechanical  drawing  periods, 
forge  and  foundry  practice  are  of  this  nature.  In 
such  cases  one  unit  of  credit  is  allotted  for  each 
two  and  a  half  hours  spent  in  the  laboratory,  shop 
or  drawing  room.  Where  outside  work  in  writing 
a  report  is  required,  additional  credit  may  be  given. 
Undergraduates  at  Cornell  carry  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  hours  of  work  per  week.  Each  hour  in 
a  lecture  or  recitation  class  entitles  the  student  to 
one  hour  of  credit;  each  two  and  one-half  hours  in 
the  laboratory  or  field,  one  hour.  Thus  a  student 
registered  for  eighteen  hours  of  work  might  have 
one  five-hour  lecture  course,  meeting  five  times  per 
week,  two  three-hour  lecture  courses,  one  three- 
hour  recitation  course,  in  a  foreign  language  say; 
aud  three  laboratory  periods,  one  of  which  carries 
an  extra  hour  of  credit  for  outside  work  in  writing 
a  report.  He  spends  then,  each  week,  twenty-one 
and  one-half  hours  actually  in  the  classroom  or 
laboratory.  That  would  be  less  than  four  hours 
per  day  on  his  studies.    But,  as  it  is  expected  that 


Instruction  349 

he  will  devote  two  hours  of  home  work  in  prepara- 
tion for  every  hour  of  class  work,  it  follows  that, 
with  a  schedule  as  here  outlined,  some  twenty- 
eight  additional  hours  of  outside  study  are  re- 
quired of  him  in  connection  with  lecture  and  reci- 
tation classes.  Add  one  hour  each  for  writing  the 
report  for  the  two  normal  laboratory  periods  and 
two  and  one-half  hours  more  for  the  report  on 
which  an  extra  credit  hour  is  granted  and  we  have 
a  total  of  fifty-four  hours  devoted  to  intellectual 
labor.    That  would  be  nine  hours  per  day. 

Probably  the  majority  of  Cornell  students  do 
not  devote  so  much  time  to  their  university  work. 
In  the  engineering  colleges  and  the  special  course 
in  chemistry  it  is  not  unlikely  that  they  do,  but 
probably  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  hours  per  week 
or  from  five  to  six  hours  per  day  comes  nearer  the 
amount  of  time  devoted  to  study  by  Arts,  Agricul- 
ture and  Law  men.  The  Medical  College  students 
(graduates)  and  the  Architecture  students  have 
long  hours  but  a  large  part  of  their  time  is  spent 
in  laboratory  and  drawing  practice.  This  estimate 
of  a  theoretical  average  of  nine  hours  per  day  of 
study  at  Cornell  was  made  independently  of  a 
similar  computation  arriving  at  a  like  result  re- 
cently published  by  a  member  of  the  faculty.  His 
figures  furnished  the  basis  for  several  editorials  in 
the  university  daily,  The  Cornell  Sun,  conducted 
by  undergraduates,  carrying  the  complaint  that 
Cornell  students  were  compelled  to  work  too  hard. 
These  editorials  had  an  interesting  outcome  in  that 
they  led  to  the  publication  of  statements  in  other 


350  Concerning  Cornell 

college  papers  in  regard  to  conditions  at  their  in- 
stitutions. At  both  Princeton  and  Yale  it  appears 
that  students  do  much  less  work,  that,  in  fact,  the 
undergraduates  themselves  realize  that  they  are 
under-  rather  than  over- worked.  It  was  figured 
that  the  average  Princeton  man  spends  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  hours  per  week  on  his  stud- 
ies, the  Yale  man  even  less,  and  that  the  "passing 
mark  is  within  the  reach  of  everybody  not  publicly 
confined."  "Almost  nobody  is  ever  expelled." 
Undergraduates  themselves  say  that  "the  fresh- 
man year  in  college  (Yale)  is  not  as  hard  as  the 
preparatory  years  just  passed  and  that  the  two 
final  years  are  not  as  hard  as  the  first."  At 
Michigan  it  was  thought  that  in  the  professional 
departments  perhaps  as  much  as  nine  hours'  ap- 
plication per  day  was  required,  that  this  might  be 
excusable  in  view  of  the  seriousness  of  their  work, 
but  that  the  literary  students  probably  studied 
only  four  or  five  hours  per  day.  It  was  felt  that 
there  would  be  cause  for  complaint  if  they  had  to 
do  more  because  the  "laboratory  of  general  culture 
is  as  much  without  the  classroom  as  within. " 

From  this  it  will  appear  that  in  comparison 
with  students  in  other  schools,  Cornell  undergrad- 
uates do  work  hard.  It  is,  in  fact,  compulsory. 
The  credit  hours  per  week  constitute  the  number 
of  hours'  credit  given  per  term.  The  Arts  student 
must  average  fifteen  hours  per  term  or  at  least  one 
hundred  and  twenty  hours  in  the  eight  terms  of  his 
four  years'  residence;  in  the  engineering  schools  a 
considerably  greater  number  of  units  of  work  are 


Instruction  35  i 

required  to  secure  the  degree.  Poor  work  is  pun- 
ished by  suspension  or  permanent  dismissal.  It  is 
necessary  to  hold  to  such  rigorous  standards  be- 
cause the  pressure  of  numbers,  in  view  of  the 
limitations  of  equipment  and  faculty,  requires  that 
the  unwilling  and  unfit  be  eliminated.  The  Cornell 
degree  means  four  years  of  conscientious  applica- 
tion. 

While  the  faculty  regulations  do  compel  the 
students  to  work,  it  may  be  complained  that  the 
undergraduates  take  too  little  interest  in  their 
studies.  Scholastic  attainments  are  no  longer  the 
vogue;  high  standing  in  classes  does  not  excite  the 
admiration  of  fellow  students.  It  is,  for  instance, 
difficult  to  maintain  a  debate  club.  Scholarship  as 
such  is  not  prized,  except  by  a  few.  It  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  see  why  this  is  so.  The  undergraduate 
demands  a  present  and  adequate  reward  for  his 
efforts.  This  may  be  the  applause  or  admiration 
of  his  fellows,  a  position  of  dominant  leadership 
among  them  or  a  substantial  money  return  from 
some  student  business  enterprise.  Athletics  pro- 
vide opportunity  for  winning  applause  and  hero 
worship  almost  ad  libitum.  If  only  indulged  in 
vicariously,  they  supply  a  strong  emotional  stim- 
ulus. The  musical  organizations  are  effusively 
greeted  at  their  every  appearance  and  the  man 
who  gains  a  place  in  them  is  rewarded  further  by 
an  extended  concert  trip  about  the  country  each 
year.  Managerial  positions  in  connection  with  the 
athletic  teams  afford  similar  opportunities  for 
travel.    Competition  for  all  such  places  is  stren- 


352  Concerning  Cornell 

uous.  The  editorial  boards  of  various  under- 
graduate periodicals  are  at  liberty  to  impress  the 
university  community  with  their  views  on  various 
matters  and  the  business  managers  get  a  comfort- 
able revenue  from  the  advertising  these  publica- 
tions carry.  Contrasted  with  all  this,  the  paltry 
prizes  of  twenty-five  and  fifty  or  one  hundred 
dollars  for  the  best  essay,  or  poem,  or  speech  or  for 
high  standing  in  class  are  very  poor  incentives  to 
effort.  Furthermore,  a  scant  line  in  the  college 
daily  is  about  all  the  undergraduate  recognition 
accorded  the  winner.  Again,  these  things  are 
faculty  managed  and  that  in  itself  puts  them  below 
par.  When  it  is  added  that  the  undergraduate  is 
constantly  being  invited  to  discount  the  future 
value  of  his  studies  by  the  man-of-affairs  lecturer 
and  by  magazine  articles,  which  often  decry  college 
training  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  majority  of 
periodical  readers  are  not  college  graduates  and  are, 
therefore,  pleased  to  learn  that  the  possession  of  a 
college  degree  confers  no  special  advantages,  there 
is  little  occasion  to  wonder  that  only  a  scant  half 
dozen  competitors,  perhaps,  from  among  thousands 
who  are  eligible,  enter  a  contest  for  one  of  the  schol- 
arship prizes.  It  would  be  interesting  to  note  the 
effect  of  making  some  of  these  prizes,  not  one  hun- 
dred, but  one  thousand  dollars;  of  printing  the  win- 
ning essays  in  full  in  the  college  daily,  with  com- 
ments and  reviews  by  faculty  members  interested 
in  the  subjects;  of  sending  the  winners  as  schol- 
arship representatives  of  Cornell  to  other  universi- 
ties to  give  talks  on  their  particular  themes. 


The  Path  to  Forest  Home  Village 


Instruction  353 

The  setting  aside,  in  1920  for  the  first  time, 
of  an  hour  devoted  to  a  university  Convocation 
for  the  recognition  of  scholarship  proved  a  suc- 
cessful step  in  this  direction. 

It  is  not  meant  to  imply  that  zest  for  study 
is  completely  lacking  at  Cornell.  On  the  contrary 
deep  interest  is  often  shown  by  a  number  of  stu- 
dents in  a  course;  and  some  courses  are  perennially 
popular  with  the  undergraduates  because  of  their 
content  or  the  personality  of  the  lecturer.  But,  as 
has  been  hinted  earlier,  the  great  mass  of  under- 
graduate students  are  fitted  neither  by  talent  nor 
inclination  to  become  intellectual  prodigies.  For 
that  class  of  students  one  must  turn  to  the  Grad- 
uate School.  That  it  is  worth  while,  however,  for 
an  undergraduate  from  purely  selfish  motives,  to 
strive  for  high  marks  is  indicated  by  a  recent 
compilation  from  "Who's  Who"  in  which  it  was 
shown  that  of  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  high 
honor  men  of  Harvard,  Yale,  Princeton,  Amherst 
and  Brown,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  had  con- 
trived to  get  their  names  in  that  list  of  distin- 
guished personages. 

In  the  Graduate  School  only  students  who 
have  already  secured  a  bachelor's  degree  are  en- 
rolled. The  faculty  of  the  Graduate  School  is  made 
up  of  those  members  of  the  faculties  of  the  other 
colleges  who  are  personally  directing  the  work  of 
graduate  students  in  any  one  year.  In  reality  the 
graduate  students  themselves  select  the  faculty, 
for  each  candidate  for  an  advanced  degree  chooses 
the  men  who  will  direct  his  work.    The  men  cho- 


354  Concerning  Cornell 

sen  are  usually  themselves  investigators  as  well  as 
teachers,  since  such  men  are  best  fitted  to  guide 
the  beginning  research  worker.  The  purpose  of 
the  Graduate  School  is  to  contribute  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  knowledge.  Each  student  registered 
in  it  elects  some  problem  in  the  subject  in  which 
he  is  most  interested  and  the  solution  of  this  problem 
comprises  the  major  part  of  his  work.  In  addition 
to  this,  he  selects  one  or  two  minor  subjects,  usually 
related  to  the  major  study;  to  these  he  devotes  the 
rest  of  his  time.  It  will  be  appreciated  that  work- 
ing under  the  direct  supervision  of  two  or  three 
specialists  and  confining  attention  to  two  or  three 
related  subjects  is  conducive  to  intensive  study  on 
part  of  the  advanced  students.  Then  undergrad- 
uate standards  of  conduct  are  wholly  forgotten; 
study  and  the  attainment  of  a  solution  of  the  inves- 
tigation in  hand  become  the  chief  end  of  existence. 
The  results  secured  in  the  major  study  are  made 
the  subject  of  a  thesis.  The  titles  of  some  of  these 
works  are  indicative  of  the  highly  specialized  char- 
acter of  present  day  investigation,  so  much  so,  in 
fact,  as  to  be  amusing  to  the  layman  because  of 
their  technicalities.  Thus  we  have,  for  example 
"The  Fluorescence  of  Anthracene,"  Perithecial 
Development  of  Sphaero  theca  humili,"  "Plane 
Sextic  Curves  Invariant  under  Birational  Trans- 
formation." After  the  thesis  has  been  completed 
and  accepted,  the  student  must  acquit  himself 
creditably  in  an  oral  examination,  that  may  be 
three  hours  long  and  is  given  by  his  committee, 
before  the  advanced  degree  will  be  conferred  upon 


Instruction  355 

him.  It  is  worth  noting  that  one  of  the  two  first 
advanced  degrees  given  by  Cornell  was  conferred 
on  David  Starr  Jordan,  later  chancellor  of  Leland 
Stanford,  Junior,  University  and  that  Chancellor 
Jordan  and  Andrew  D.  White  are  the  only  per- 
sons on  whom  Cornell  has  bestowed  honorary  de- 
grees. Every  other  Cornell  degree  has  needed  to 
be  earned  by  actual  study  at  the  university. 

It  would  not  be  fair  to  omit  mention  of  the 
Summer  Session  in  a  description  of  the  instruction 
given  at  Cornell.  This  extends  over  a  period  of 
six  weeks,  from  the  second  week  in  July  to  the 
middle  of  August.  During  this  time  outdoor  Cor- 
nell is  in  its  most  attractive  phase;  the  skies  are 
clear  during  the  day,  yet  the  weather  is  cool  and 
delightful  and  almost  every  evening  witnesses  a 
beautiful  sunset.  The  Summer  Session,  according- 
ly, is  particularly  noted  for  the  pleasant  oppor- 
tunity it  offers  for  outdoor  natural  history  study. 
The  flora,  the  fauna,  particularly  the  birds;  the 
geography  and  the  geology  of  the  Cornell  region 
are  then  all  studied  on  a  multitude  of  organized 
excursions.  These  go  out  afoot,  by  boat  on  the 
lake,  by  automobile  and  in  special  trains; 
sometimes  two  and  three  hundred  persons  on  a 
single  trip.  A  series  of  courses  in  music  is  another 
feature  of  the  Summer  Session  that  attracts  hun- 
dreds. Formerly  nearly  the  total  enrollment  of 
summer  students  consisted  of  teachers  from  other 
institutions  who  came  to  brush  up  on  their  subjects 
or  get  a  start  in  new  ones.  Recently  there  has 
been  an  increasingly  large  proportion  of  under- 


356 


Concerning  Cornell 


graduates  and  preparatory  students  who  utilize 
this  opportunity  to  anticipate  work  in  the  regular 
sessions  or  to  make  up  deficiencies.  In  some  re- 
spects the  summer  work  is  not  so  exacting  as  the 
winter  instruction;  for  example,  students  are  not 
required  to  keep  up  with  the  work  on  pain  of  dis- 
missal. This,  combined  with  the  greater  sociability 
and  the  many  popular  lectures  and  music  recitals, 
imparts  a  sense  of  relaxation  that  every  one  enjoys. 
The  educational  activities  of  the  university  are 
by  no  means  confined  to  the  formal  instruction 
given  in  classes.  The  incidental  mention,  on  pre- 
ceding pages,  of  general  lectures,  music  recitals 
and  extension  work  has  indicated  this.    But  such 

extra-curriculum  _     _^ 

features  have  a  SV'-ifTpy 
far  wider  scope 
than  could  be  de- 
duced from  such 
remarks.  Their 
extent  would  be 
better  understood 
after  inspection 
of  any  issue  of 
the  weekly  cal- 
endar published 
by  the  university; 
nearly  every  part- 
ly or  wholly  free 
hour  is  scheduled 
for  some  event  of 
popular   interest. 


A   SNOWY    DAY 


Instruction  357 

Several  series  of  lectures,  in  which  each  ad- 
dress was  by  a  specialist  on  a  particular  phase  of 
the  general  subject,  on  such  broad  topics  as  "The 
History  of  Civilization,"  "Eugenics,"  and  "Inter- 
national Law"  have  been  a  feature  in  recent  years. 
These  occasions  are  usually  open  to  every  one 
interested.  The  variety  and  the  merit  of  the  year's 
program  is  such  that  it  would  in  itself  afford  the 
foundation  for  a  liberal  education.  Leaders  of  the 
world's  thought  and  achievement  speak  at  Cor- 
nell, great  musicians  favor  the  university  with 
their  accomplishments.  In  view  of  this  and  the 
very  attractive  environment  of  the  university  it 
is  rather  surprising  that  a  larger  number  of  people 
with  leisure  have  not  made  their  homes  in  Ithaca 
and  enjoyed  these  advantages.  Though  the  uni- 
versity thus  actually  does  much  in  extending  its 
teaching  influence  to  the  community  as  a  whole, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  its  facilities  are  not  quite 
broad  enough  to  enable  it  to  meet  all  demands; 
since  only  a  sorry  negative  could  be  returned  in 
reply  to  the  following  inquiry  recently  received  at 
the  President's  office: 

"I  am  studying  the  migration  of  birds, 
and,  with  a  view  to  learning  how  much 
the  sense  of  direction  is  dependent  upon 
distinctive  odors  of  different  localities, 
and  the  distance  such  odors  carry,  I  am 
taking  the  very  great  liberty  of  inquiring 
whether  you  can  smell  Philadelphia  when 
the  wind  blows  from  the  south — and  if 
so,  what  it  smells  like?" 


358  Concerning  Cornell 

Probably  a  majority  of  the  students  at  Cornell 
are  the  sons  and  daughters  of  tradesmen,  manu- 
facturers, professional  men,  doctors  and  lawyers; 
and  farmers.  A  large  proportion  of  the  students 
with  fathers  in  business  secure  places  in  the  pa- 
rental enterprises  immediately  after  graduation. 
This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  it  is  so  difficult  to 
get  specific  data  with  regard  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  university  graduate  profits  directly  by  his 
training.  Where  a  niche  is  provided  for  the  grad- 
uate simply  because  he  is  his  father's  son,  it  can 
not  fairly  be  said  that  his  later  position  in  life  is 
due  to  his  own  initiative,  much  less  to  the  fact  that 
he  spent  four  years  at  an  institution  of  higher 
learning.  It  is  probably  to  such  men,  as  a  class, 
that  the  social  advantages  of  a  college  career  are  of 
paramount  importance.  There  is,  however,  a  large 
class  of  prospective  students  whose  individual 
decisions,  or  that  of  their  parents,  in  regard  to  a 
university  course,  yes  or  no,  are  determined 
primarily  by  the  outlook  for  a  substantial  ma- 
terial reward  for  such  preparation.  It  was  with 
that  viewpoint  in  mind  that  the  writer  addressed 
a  circular  letter  to  a  number  of  faculty  members 
asking  what  opportunities  for  earning  a  living 
were  open  to  graduates  of  their  colleges  or  who  had 
specialized  in  their  departments.  From  the  re- 
plies received  it  is  apparent  that  members  of  the 
faculty  are  very  little  in  touch  with  the  later 
careers  of  the  students  who  have  been  enrolled  in 
their  classes  except  in  the  cases  of  a  few  in  whom 
they  have  been  especially  interested.    Possibly  if 


Instruction  359 

the  plan  were  adopted  of  giving  each  graduate  with 
his  diploma  five  or  more  cards;  one  of  these  to  be 
mailed  back  to  the  university  secretary  each  year 
with  answers  to  printed  questions  filled  in,  more 
accurate  information  on  such  points  would  be  avail- 
able shortly.  Statistics  made  up  from  replies  for  a 
series  of  years  to  specific  questions  of  the  kind  that 
follow  would  certainly  be  very  interesting.  What 
positions  have  you  secured  because  of  training, 
either  general  or  technical,  you  received  during  your 
university  career?  How  large  an  income  do  you 
earn  as  a  direct  result  of  your  college  training? 
How  much  of  an  increase  is  this  over  last  year? 
What  are  your  present  prospects  for  advancement? 
Of  what  opportunities  have  you  knowledge  that  are 
open  to  a  college  graduate  with  some  special  kind 
of  training?  What  have  you  been  able  to  con- 
tribute, because  of  your  training,  to  the  general 
welfare  or  betterment  of  conditions,  material  or 
moral,  in  your  community?  Possibly  it  would  be 
well  to  have  the  replies  anonymous  in  order  to 
minimize  a  natural  tendency  to  paint  the  record  in 
glowing  colors,  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other, 
to  encourage  those  who  have  not  achieved  as  much 
as  they  had  hoped,  to  contribute  their  more  pessi- 
mistic reports. 

Lacking  such  statistics,  only  very  general 
answers  can  be  made  to  the  kind  of  inquiry  the 
questions  outline  and  the  general  content  of  the 
above  paragraph  suggests.  Probably  almost  every 
one  of  the  graduates  of  the  Medical  College  enters 
into  the  practice  of  his  profession.    As  most  per- 


360  Concerning  Cornell 

sons  have  a  general  idea  of  the  fortunes  of  the 
medical  practitioner  in  their  community,  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  discuss  the  doctor's  career  here. 
Moreover,  the  Cornell  Medical  College  is  now  a 
graduate  school  and  requires  seven  or  eight  years' 
study  to  secure  its  degree.  This  puts  the  Cornell 
doctors  in  a  class  by  themselves  not  comparable 
with  the  graduates  from  the  other  professional 
colleges  of  the  university  who  secure  their  degrees 
after  only  four  years  of  study.  Like  the  graduates 
of  the  Medical  College  most  of  the  Doctors  of  Vet- 
erinary Medicine  practice  their  profession  after  se- 
curing their  diplomas.  However,  the  writer  knows 
of  one  who  engaged  first  in  photography  and  is  now 
a  life  insurance  solicitor.  Furthermore,  the  Vet- 
erinary course  requires  only  four  years  of  study, 
permits  of  some  specialization  during  that  time 
and  offers  a  rather  wider  variety  of  choice  of  par- 
ticular pursuit  within  the  profession  than  is  open 
to  the  physician.  Recent  graduates  of  the  Veter- 
inary College  can  readily  secure  salaried  positions 
at  two  thousand  dollars  per  year. 

In  the  percentage  of  its  graduates  that  follow 
the  profession  for  which  they  have  been  trained, 
the  Civil  Engineering  College  probably  comes  next 
after  the  medical  schools.  It  is  stated  that  eighty- 
four  per  cent  of  those  who  receive  the  Cornell  Civil 
Engineering  degree  engage  in  strictly  civil  engineer- 
ing work  after  graduation.  Probably  most  of  these 
begin  at  salaries  of  from  seventy -five  to  eighty-five 
dollars  per  month.  In  some  cases,  however,  long 
established  firms  of  civil  engineers  will  offer  a 


Instruction  361 

graduate  ninety  to  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  per 
month  because  he  has  had  theoretic  training  in 
reinforced  concrete  construction,  as  this  is  a  new 
development  in  the  profession  and  the  older  men 
appreciate  that  they  are  not  fully  conversant  with 
its  technical  details.  If  those  who  engage  in  con- 
tracting work  on  their  own  account  are  excepted, 
an  average  salary  of  perhaps  thirty-five  hundred 
dollars  per  year  would  probably  measure  the  ma- 
terial success  of  the  civil  engineers  who  have  had 
four  or  five  years  of  experience  and  who  have 
proved  capable  men  in  their  profession. 

It  is  possible  that  the  percentage  of  men  who 
go  on  in  their  profession  is  even  greater  in  the  case 
of  Architectural  College  graduates  than  of  those 
with  the  civil  engineering  degree.  In  both  cases 
this  is  explained  in  part  by  the  fact  that  the  total 
enrollment  in  these  colleges  is  not  large.  In  other 
words  the  graduates  are  so  few  that  they  can 
be  absorbed  readily  by  the  demands  of  the  respec- 
tive professions  for  new  men.  The  outlook  for 
civil  engineers  is  less  promising,  however,  at  the 
present  time  than  for  the  architects  because  con- 
struction work,  particularly  railroad  building,  has 
in  large  measure  abated.  But,  if  the  Panama 
Canal  is  completed,  governmental  railroads  in 
Alaska  are  now  on  the  slate.  Yet  within  New  York 
State  both  the  barge  canal  and  the  Ashokan  Reser- 
voir projects  have  been  completed,  many  miles  of 
state  road  have  been  built  and  no  similarly  large 
scale  works  are  in  prospect.  Thus  opportunities 
for  the  civil  engineer  are  apparently  fewer  than 


362  Concerning  Cornell 

those  open  to  the  young  architect  in  the  same  po- 
sition, since  the  erection  of  new  buildings,  public, 
industrial,  commercial  and  dwelling-house  con- 
tinues apace  and  each  year  sees  more  substantial 
structures,  of  better  design  and  ever  more  intricate 
in  their  interior  construction  and  specialization  in 
material.  But,  in  the  case  of  the  modern  steel 
structures,  the  services  of  the  civil  engineer  are  in 
as  much  demand  perhaps  as  those  of  the  architect, 
in  fact  here  the  two  professions  often  merge  in  one 
man.  The  college  course  that  each  pursues  has 
also  much  in  common.  An  aptitude  for  mathe- 
matics, especially  as  applied  to  mechanical  calcu- 
lations, is  essential  to  happy  progress  in  either 
course,  but  while  mathematics  may  be  termed  the 
rock  on  which  most  embryo  civil  engineers  are 
broken,  lack  of  artistic  instinct  more  commonly 
spells  disaster  in  the  college  career  of  the  architect. 
In  other  words  while  many  set  out  to  be  civil  en- 
gineers or  architects,  comparatively  few  are  chosen, 
because  the  majority  are  not  endowed  with  natural 
ability  in  mechanics  and  design.  Thus  the  discus- 
sion has  brought  us  back  to  the  original  postulate 
that  the  civil  engineers  and  architects  in  most  cases 
follow  their  professions  because  only  a  compara- 
tively small  number  secure  diplomas.  The  young 
architect  very  commonly  begins  his  career  as  a 
draughtsman  in  some  established  firm  at  a  salary 
of  perhaps  one  hundred  dollars  per  month.  This 
may  very  shortly  be  increased  by  fifty  dollars  or 
considerably  more.  But  to  attain  a  larger  suc- 
cess it  is  probably  incumbent  on  the  ambitious 


Instruction  363 

graduate  to  open  an  office  of  his  own  after  a  few- 
years'  experience  with  an  established  firm.  If  he 
is  located  in  a  good  community  and  possesses,  in 
addition  to  his  ability  as  an  architect,  the  knack  of 
establishing  cordial  business  relations  with  his 
prospective  clientele,  he  may  hope  very  shortly  to 
earn  from  five  to  eight  thousand  dollars  a  year  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Graduates  from  the  Sibley  College  of  Mechani- 
cal Engineering  have  a  very  much  broader  field  for 
employment  open  to  them,  both  as  to  the  variety  of 
occupation  possible  and  the  wealth  of  opportunities 
along  a  single  line  of  endeavor,  than  is  the  case  with 
the  graduates  of  any  of  the  other  professional  col- 
leges so  far  mentioned.  This  was  especially  true 
during  the  period  of  fifteen  years  or  more  of  great 
industrial  development  that  recently  derived  a  new 
impetus  from  war  needs.  Because  of  the  active 
demand  during  this  time  for  trained  mechanical 
engineers,  the  courses  in  Sibley  College  acquired  a 
sort  of  vogue  that  attracted  a  great  number  of 
students,  many  of  whom  were  only  indifferently 
qualified,  either  in  natural  endowments  or  zest  for 
the  work,  to  become  successful  in  the  mechanical 
engineering  profession.  At  Cornell  it  was,  indeed, 
quite  the  fashion  for  a  number  of  years  to  be  an 
M.  E.  student,  in  fact  the  undergraduate  who 
confessed  to  enrollment  in  Arts  or  one  of  the  other 
colleges  actually  lost  caste.  Curiously  enough, 
such  distinction  was  owing,  in  part,  also,  to  the  fact 
that  the  Sibley  students  had  the  reputation  of 
working  harder  than  the  men  in  Law  or  Arts,  the 


364 


Concerning  Cornell 


other  colleges  having  a  large  enrollment.  The 
reputation,  and  the  fact,  of  the  hard  work  en- 
dures into  the  present  but  no  especial  undergradu- 
ate prestige  now  attaches  to  registration  in  Sibley. 
The  number  of  students,  however,  continues  large. 
It  must  be  remembered,  also,  that  opportunities 
for  mechanical  engineers  are  quite  varied  and  it  is 
estimated,  moreover,  that  scarcely  one-half  of  the 
men  who  graduate  from  Sibley  College  go  into  en- 
gineering work.  The  courses  offered  by  the  college 
are  considered  to  be  excellent  business  training, 
especially  for  sons  who  will  enter  manufacturing 
businesses  conducted  by  their  fathers.  The  broad 
outlet  for  graduates  who  have  no  such  connections 
seems  to  be  the  apprenticeship  courses  that  many 
of  the  large  manufacturing  and  operating  firms  of 
the  country  offer.  The  beginning  pay  in  these  is 
usually  one  hundred  dollars  per  month  and  after 
a  few  years  those  who  show  especial  aptitude  for 
the  work  receive  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  month  for  their 

services.  To  indi- 


a 


7^r^'  p-7^ 


A   CORNELL      R.  O.  T.  C      GROUP 


cate  the  breadth 
of  the  field  open 
to  the  experienced 
mechanical  engi- 
neer, it  will  prob- 
ably suffice  to  sug- 
gest that  he  may 
engage  in  the  de- 
sign, erection,  op- 
eration, testing  or 


Instruction  365 

sales  division  of  any  of  the  multitudinous  indus- 
tries that  make  either  machines  for  power  devel- 
opment or  machinery  that  requires  power  to  drive 
it,  either  steam,  electric  or  water  power.  No — 
even  the  above  broad  statement  is  inadequate  to 
indicate  the  many  branches  open,  but  it  does  not 
seem  possible  to  put  their  extent  in  a  few  phrases. 
This  very  variety,  however,  points  to  another  diffi- 
culty which  confronts  the  young  mechanical  engi- 
neer, that  of  finding  his  particular  opportunity. 

The  legal  profession  seems  overcrowded  at 
present  for  the  beginner.  The  very  dissimilar 
university  courses  of  mechanical  engineering  and 
law  apparently  enroll  numbers  of  students  with 
somewhat  the  same  object  in  view,  namely,  to 
utilize  their  training  in  various  business  pursuits 
rather  than  to  enter  their  professions.  Many  Law 
School  graduates  fail  to  take  the  examinations  for 
admission  to  the  bar  and  of  those  who  do  and  pass 
quite  a  few  abandon  legal  practice  after  several 
years.  The  struggle  to  establish  himself  is  even 
more  difficult,  possibly,  for  the  young  lawyer  than 
for  the  young  doctor.  But  it  must  not  be  inferred 
from  this  that  the  legal  profession  is  altogether  un- 
profitable. Nor  should  such  a  conclusion  be  drawn 
from  published  statistics  that  put  the  average 
lawyer's  income  at  a  very  low  figure.  Such  tabula- 
tions take  into  account  the  earnings  of  those  who 
after  a  few  years  quit  practice,  and,  since  their 
number  is  large,  it  is  quite  probable  that  this  un- 
duly depresses  the  average.  If  only  lawyers  with 
offices  of  their  own  and  of  at  least  five  years' 


360  Concerning  Cornell 

experience  entered  into  the  reckoning  the  figures 
would  no  doubt  be  more  encouraging  to  the  young 
aspirant  for  legal  honors  and  emoluments.  If  this 
be  considered  unfair  it  may  be  pointed  out  that 
in  the  other  profession  in  which  beginners  are  like- 
wise expected  to  starve  for  a  few  years,  that  of 
medicine,  an  additional  four  years  of  study  is 
required  to  secure  a  Cornell  degree  and  after  that 
very  probably  a  year  in  hospital  work.  All  this 
before  he  can  even  begin  to  earn  a  living. 

If  mechanical  engineering  was  the  vogue  among 
Cornell  students  a  few  years  ago,  agriculture  may 
be  said  to  occupy  the  same  position  now.  With 
this  distinction,  however,  that  the  vogue  of  agri- 
culture is  due  to  the  present-day  wide  opportunity 
for  the  graduate  of  that  college,  even  greater  than 
that  in  the  past  open  to  the  engineer.  Agriculture 
is  popular  also  with  Students  from  New  York  State 
because  they  enjoy  free  tuition  in  the  college  and 
because  the  prescribed  general  course  is  now  so 
liberal  as  to  justify  the  faculty  in  conferring  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  science  without  the  limiting 
clause,  "in  agriculture,' '  as  was  formerly  done.  It  is 
the  common  impression  that  a  course  in  agriculture 
fits  a  man  for  either  one  of  two  things :  to  go  back 
on  the  farm  and  practice  scientific  agriculture  or 
to  teach  scientific  farming.  This  is  far  from  being 
the  case  as  would  be  perceived  from  a  mere  enum- 
eration of  the  diverse  interests  that  find  shelter  un- 
der the  broad  cover  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  as 
organized  at  Cornell.  However,  the  present  popu- 
larity of  the  course,  the  scope  of  the  work  embraced 


Instruction  367 

in  the  college  and  the  fact  that  its  breadth  is  not 
well  understood  by  the  public,  all  warrant  a  little 
more  extended  treatment  than  that. 

It  will  be  fitting  to  begin  with  a  consideration 
of  the  departments  in  which  the  instruction  ac- 
cords most  nearly  with  what  may  originally  have 
been  conceived  as  the  province  of  the  whole  college. 
Thus  the  teaching  of  the  Department  of  Farm 
Management  is  intended  primarily  to  fit  students 
for  the  management  of  their  own  farms.  Besides 
training  in  the  natural  sciences  that  underly  agri- 
culture, e.  g.  botany,  students  specializing  along 
this  line  are  advised  to  give  considerable  time  to  the 
study  of  farm  crops  and  animal  husbandry.  It  is 
estimated  that  graduates  with  such  training,  where 
situated  on  adequate  farms,  are  earning  labor  in- 
comes of  two  thousand  dollars  per  year  and  more, 
over  and  above  interest  on  the  investment.  Such 
students,  when  employed  by  farm  owners,  do  not 
receive  much  higher  pay  than  the  hired  man,  but 
the  work  is  accounted  as  practical  experience,  pre- 
liminary to  starting  for  themselves.  As  suggested 
above,  the  courses  offered  by  the  Department  of 
Farm  Crops  fit  in  with  those  of  the  Department  of 
Farm  Management.  Specialization  in  Farm  Crops 
has,  however,  also  secured  positions  for  a  number 
of  students  as  teachers  in  agricultural  subjects,  ex- 
periment station  workers  and  farm  bureau  agents, 
as  well  as  in  various  commercial  enterprises  con- 
nected with  agriculture,  for  example  in  the  seed 
and  implement  business.  A  tabulation  of  the  in- 
comes of  recent  graduates  who  have  specialized  in 


368  Concerning  Cornell 

the  department  shows  that  on  the  average  they 
begin  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars  per  year  and  after 
several  years  receive  two  thousand  dollars. 

Special  study  in  the  Department  of  Soil  Tech- 
nology similarly  qualifies  men  for  expert  positions 
in  the  fertilizer  business,  in  drainage  and  irrigation 
enterprises  and  in  governmental  soil  survey  work. 
These,  and  like  opportunities,  are  growing  in  im- 
portance, but  about  one-half  the  men  who  have 
specialized  in  the  Soils  Department  in  the  past  are 
engaged  in  teaching  the  subject.  The  salaries  re- 
ceived range  from  fifteen  hundred  to  three  thous- 
and dollars,  according  to  the  measure  of  ability 
and  experience  of  the  different  men.  In  addition 
to  a  general  knowledge  of  agricultural  subjects, 
students  in  this  line  find  the  study  of  plant  physi- 
ology, chemistry,  physiography  and  physics  of 
great  importance. 

While  the  study  of  the  soil  is  certainly  of 
fundamental  importance  in  agriculture,  it  will  be 
appreciated  that  the  special  training  offered  by  a 
department  of  soils  in  itself  tends  to  create  oppor- 
tunities for  the  graduates.  Thus,  if  one  fertilizer 
company  employs  an  expert  in  soils,  the  others 
must  soon  follow  suit.  The  same  logic  applies  to 
quite  a  few  of  the  other  technical  departments  of 
the  College  of  Agriculture ;  their  relation  to  agri- 
culture is  apparent  enough,  but  the  occupations 
of  their  graduates  are  quite  foreign  to  any  con- 
ception of  the  old  time  farmer  who  turned  furrows, 
sowed  and  reaped. 

While  men  from  the  soils  department  tend  to 


Instruction  369 

occupy  technical  positions,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
that  the  graduates  who  have  done  considerable 
work  in  the  Department  of  Dairy  Industry  find 
their  opportunities  much  more  generally  in  com- 
mercial work  directly  connected  with  the  making 
of  dairy  products.  There  is  a  great  demand  for 
such  men  to  manage  large  dairy  plants,  though 
there  are  also  governmental  and  teaching  positions 
to  be  filled.  In  addition  to  the  practical  and  theo- 
retical training  offered  by  the  department,  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  bacteriology  and  chemistry 
are  essential  in  this  line.  Salaries  are  somewhat 
higher  than  in  other  fields  ranging  from  two 
thousand  dollars  per  year  up.  In  the  Department 
of  Vegetable  Gardening  the  best  opportunities  are 
similarly  in  commercial  vegetable  production.  This 
field  is  comparatively  new  and  as  other  agricultural 
colleges  are  beginning  to  realize  its  importance 
there  is  a  dearth  of  men  for  teaching  positions. 
One  man  just  graduated  was  offered  a  salary  of 
fifteen  hundred  dollars;  two  others  were  in  line 
for  a  position  paying  eighteen  hundred  dollars. 
The  man  in  touch  with  the  latest  developments 
in  vegetable  gardening,  who  has  also  a  knowl- 
edge of  pomology  and  floriculture,  will  apparently 
have  no  difficulty  in  selling  his  services  to  good 
advantage  for  some  time  to  come.  Men  from  the 
Department  of  Floriculture,  who  have  had  but 
little  practical  experience,  have  readily  secured 
positions  at  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  dol- 
lars per  month.  Teaching  positions  are  open,  but 
the  salaries  do  not  attract  the  best  men,  as  the  prof- 


370  Concerning  Cornell 

its  of  commercial  florists  are  much  greater.  Again, 
work  in  this  department  may  be  made  secondary 
to  work  in  the  Department  of  Landscape  Art,  in 
which  case  the  student  is  fitted  to  take  a  good 
position  as  superintendent  of  an  estate.  Gradu- 
ates from  the  Department  of  Pomology  receive 
from  twelve  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars  the 
first  year  they  are  out  of  college.  In  addition  to 
commercial  and  teaching  positions,  there  is  a  great 
demand  for  men  trained  in  pomology  to  undertake 
investigations  of  special  problems  for  individual 
fruit  growers.  Such  work  is  allied  with  the  kind 
of  training  offered  in  the  Department  of  Plant 
Breeding  and  that  of  Plant  Pathology,  although 
these  departments,  like  that  of  soils,  tend  rather 
to  develop  technical  experts  who  are  more  apt  to 
find  their  opportunities  in  governmental  investiga- 
tion or  university  research  work.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  wherever  the  departmental  work 
takes  on  this  technical  aspect  it  tends  to  become 
a  graduate  study.  The  Departments  of  Plant 
Breeding  and  of  Plant  Pathology  are  no  excep- 
tions to  this  rule.  The  reason  is  simple  enough: 
a  broad  fundamental  training  is  necessary  before 
these  highly  specialized  studies  can  be  undertaken 
with  profit.  Thus  in  Plant  Pathology  students  are 
expected  to  have  extensive  knowledge  of  organic 
and  physical  chemistry,  plant  physiology  and  bot- 
any in  addition  to  a  general  training  in  agricultural 
and  cultural  subjects.  In  consequence,  only  sen- 
iors and  a  few  juniors  find  it  possible  to  take  up  the 
work,  and  those  who  wish  to  follow  it  as  a  pro- 


Instruction  3  7 1 

fession  study  for  the  doctorate  degree.  This  means 
at  least  three  years  of  postgraduate  work,  but  the 
doctorate  graduates  from  the  Cornell  department 
are  all  earning  salaries  from  two  thousand  up  to 
three  thousand  dollars.  Such  salaries  are,  how- 
ever, exceptionally  high  for  even  doctorate  grad- 
uates, and  are  due  in  this  case  to  the  fact  that  the 
subject  is  comparatively  young  and  because  its 
importance  is  realized,  for  the  successful  control 
of  plant  diseases  is  often  a  limiting  factor  in  satis- 
factory crop  production.  In  the  Department  of 
Entomology,  which  at  Cornell  is  a  rather  narrow 
title  for  a  department  that  includes  a  wide  variety 
of  biological  branches  under  a  simple  organization, 
much  of  the  work  is  also  quite  technical  and  spe- 
cialized, though  not  so  much  so  as  in  the  case  of 
Plant  Pathology.  But,  because  biology  is  one  of 
the  fundamental  natural  sciences  of  cultural  value 
and  popular  interest,  there  is  a  quite  wide  demand 
for  students  of  the  subject  who  have  only  the 
bachelor's  degree  as  teachers  in  high  schools  and 
in  the  governmental  bureaus.  Such  men  receive 
beginning  salaries  of  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  study  of  economic  ento- 
mology is  perhaps  fully  as  technical  as  that  of 
plant  pathology,  yet  it  is  doubtful  whether  many 
of  the  doctorate  graduates  in  this  branch  of  biol- 
ogy receive  beginning  salaries  of  over  two  thous- 
and dollars. 

The  foregoing  paragraphs  will  perhaps  suffice 
to  indicate  the  variety  of  instruction  offered  in 
the  College  of  Agriculture  at  Cornell  and  also  that 


372  Concerning  Cornell 

this  college  is  developing  ramifications  that  were 
hardly  thought  of  a  few  years  ago.  The  list  is 
not  complete  for  such  important  departments  as 
those  of  Animal  Husbandry,  Rural  Engineering, 
Rural  Education  and  Botany  have  not  been  in- 
cluded. There  remain,  however,  two  departments 
that  merit  particular  mention  here  because  their 
subjects  command  such  wide  popular  interest: 
the  Department  of  Forestry  and  that  of  Home 
Economics. 

It  was  admitted  by  those  most  closely  in  touch 
with  the  situation  that  the  forestry  profession 
before  the  Great  War  was  overcrowded.  Despite 
this  fact,  the  Department  of  Forestry,  then  re- 
cently organized  to  take  up  the  work  that  ceased 
at  Cornell  when  the  former  College  of  Forestry  was 
discontinued,  had  already  placed  a  number  of  men 
in  advantageous  positions  in  field  work.  Even 
undergraduates  of  senior  standing  secured  summer 
positions  paying  fifty  dollars  per  month  and  ex- 
penses. The  outlook  for  the  professional  forester 
has,  however,  improved  greatly  since  the  Great 
War;  the  demand  for  trained  men  is  greater  than 
the  supply.  Even  if  this  were  not  the  case  the 
subject  would  continue  to  enlist  a  number  of 
young  enthusiasts  in  whom  the  fascination  of  a  life 
in  the  open  subordinates  all  other  consideration. 
They  conceive  the  forester  striding  through  the  un- 
tamed woodland  and  they  want  to  take  the  course. 
Much  the  same  spirit  urged  the  youth  of  an  earlier 
generation  to  seek  the  wild  west.  The  same  mo- 
tive quite  commonly  actuated  those  students  who 


Instruction  373 

desired  to  become  geologists;  the  possibility  of  en- 
gaging in  field  work  in  remote  regions  was  a  great 
lure.  That  this  was  so,  despite  the  fact  that  both 
of  these  professions  promised  comparatively  small 
reward  in  fame  or  money,  proves  that  sordid  am- 
bition even  in  a  commercial  age  does  not  always 
determine  the  choice  of  a  career.  The  need  of 
more  paper  pulp  has  since,  however,  made  the  for- 
ester's profession  lucrative;  as  the  need  of  oil  has 
made  the  geologist's  likewise  profitable. 

The  rapid  establishment  and  continued  devel- 
opment of  departments  of  domestic  science,  like 
that  of  Home  Economics  at  Cornell,  in  other  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning,  is  perhaps  indicative 
of  a  new  recognition  that  the  largest  field  for 
woman  remains  the  home.  Feminine  leaders  are 
coming  to  a  realization  that  the  emancipation  of 
the  home  rather  than  freedom  from  its  duties  in 
business  and  professional  pursuits  in  competition 
with  men  should  be  the  ultimate  goal  of  women's 
activities.  This  emancipation  is  to  be  brought 
about  by  scientific  planning  of  the  house  and  its 
appointments  and  by  systematic  execution  of  the 
household  routine.  It  is  accordingly  quite  fitting 
that  the  Home  Economics  Department  should  be 
incorporated  in  the  organization  of  the  College  of 
Agriculture  for  the  farm  home  has  perhaps  been 
in  greatest  need  of  relief  from  drudgery  and  lack- 
lustre occupation.  At  present  most  of  the  grad- 
uates from  the  department  engage  in  teaching 
which  further  indicates  the  demand  for  the  diffus- 
ion of  such  knowledge.  In  institutions  where  meals 


374  Concerning  Cornell 

are  served  to  a  number  of  people  they  find  employ- 
ment as  dietitians,  other  graduates  become  stewards, 
expert  buyers  and  settlement  workers.  In  such 
positions  they  receive  salaries  ranging  from  one 
thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars  per  year  while 
the  teachers  earn  two  thousand  dollars  and  more. 

It  is  not  pretended  that  the  list  of  specific  vo- 
cations suggested  in  connection  with  the  various 
colleges  and  departments  already  mentioned  is  in 
any  sense  comprehensive.  A  regular  four  years' 
course  in  hotel  management  is  a  recent  addition 
to  the  list  of  vocational  possibilities.  But  there 
may  be  readers  of  these  pages  who  are  seeking 
a  particular  life-work  that  demands  the  technical 
training  which  a  university  can  offer,  something 
that  attracts  them  personally  and  will  afford  an 
end  toward  which  they  can  bend  the  studious 
efforts  of  their  undergraduate  years.  Their  best 
recourse  will  be  the  lists  of  positions  that  are 
filled  through  examination  and  appointment  by 
the  Civil  Service  Commission  of  the  federal 
government.  An  astonishing  diversity  of  em- 
ployments is  open  in  the  government  service  to 
educated  candidates  and  the  notices  of  examina- 
tions that  the  commission  issues  give  very  detailed 
statements  of  the  necessary  requirements  and 
qualifications  for  each.  The  initial  salaries  offered 
are  also  a  very  good  index  of  the  minimum  pay 
received  in  the  various  occupations,  whether  in  the 
government  service  or  elsewhere. 

The  above  remarks  are  especially  applicable  to 
the  vocational  opportunities  afforded  by  the  many 


Instruction  375 

subjects,  and  combinations  of  them,  that  may  be 
studied  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  While 
several  departments,  notably  those  of  Chemistry 
and  the  School  of  Education  outline  courses  of 
study  that  must  be  followed  by  students  who  wish 
to  follow  chemistry  or  teaching  as  a  profession  (and 
have  the  department's  recommendation  as  to  their 
fitness  for  such  pursuits)  the  majority  do  not,  and 
the  students  interested,  say,  in  such  vocations  as 
journalism,  banking,  and  philanthropy,  must  be 
advised  by  the  professors  most  directly  concerned 
as  to  the  most  profitable  use  of  their  time.  Specific 
information,  in  so  far  as  it  is  available,  may  how- 
ever, be  of  interest.  The  Department  of  Chemis- 
try is  in  many  respects  a  professional  college  and 
a  distinctive  degree,  that  of  Bachelor  of  Chemistry, 
is  granted  students  who  complete  its  prescribed 
course.  It  is  claimed  that  practically  every  one  of 
the  graduates  can  be  placed  in  positions  that  pay 
from  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year  up  to  two  thous- 
and dollars,  primarily  in  the  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial field,  but  also  in  the  teaching  and  govern- 
mental occupations.  Applications  for  men  trained 
by  the  department  are  being  posted  continually 
throughout  the  year.  In  the  allied  science  of  phys- 
ics the  demand  is  also  active  but  the  opportunities, 
other  than  in  teaching  positions,  are  rather  spe- 
cialized; to  qualify  for  which  requires,  as  a  rule, 
postgraduate  study.  For  instance,  one  of  the  men 
who  recently  received  the  doctorate  degree  is  now 
employed  as  optical  expert  by  a  firm  that  manu- 
factures lenses  for  automobile  and  railroad  lamps. 


376 


Concerning  Cornell 


Postgraduate  study  is  equally  essential  for  profes- 
sional careers  in  the  natural  sciences,  geology,  bot- 
any and  zoology. 

The  title  of  one  of  the  courses,  Municipal  Ad- 
ministration, in  the  Department  of  Political  Sci- 
ence, immediately  suggests  the  new  position  of  city 
manager  that  the  commission  form  of  city  govern- 
ment is  making  possible.  In  the  same  department 
the  study  of  statistics,  in  combination  with  special 
mathematical  training,  leads  to  actuarial  positions 
in  life  insurance  companies.  Somewhat  similar 
opportunities  are  offered  by  the  government  cen- 
sus bureau.  In  fact  the  director  of  the  1910  census 
received  much  of  his  training  in  this  Cornell  de- 
partment. Psychologists  have  recently  secured 
many  business  positions — it  is  often  difficult  to  say 
whence  the  demand  will  come  for  a  man  with 
some  special  sort  of  knowledge.  Some  departments 
are  distinctly  adjunct,  but  may,  nevertheless,  be 
very  much  worth  while.  Thus  the  Department  of 
Oratory  does  not  aim  primarily  to  prepare  men 
for   the   lyceum    or   Chautauqua   platforms   but 


PLANTING  THE  CLASS  IVY,  COMMENCEMENT  WEEK 


Instruction  377 

rather  to  help  the  student  of  other  subjects  to  ac- 
quire ability  to  express  himself  well  in  public. 
Engineers,  architects,  lawyers  are  more  and  more 
coming  to  realize  the  value  of  such  preparation. 

In  the  subjects  that  are  generally  known  as  the 
humanities,  ancient  and  modern  languages,  includ- 
ing also  English,  history,  philosophy  and  mathe- 
matics, the  direct  vocational  opportunity  is  almost 
wholly  in  the  teaching  profession.  Students  with 
first  degrees  who  have  shown  ability  in  such  of 
these  subjects  that  are  taught  in  the  secondary 
schools  may  readily  secure  positions  paying  at  the 
beginning  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
After  several  years  experience  the  average  salary 
is  perhaps  two  thousand  dollars. 

Women  students  preparing  to  teach  are  at- 
tracted especially  by  the  languages.  Graduate 
work  in  the  humanities,  for  those  who  have  the 
special  inclination  and  ability  to  pursue  it  far 
enough,  prepares  for  college  instructorships  and 
the  eventual  occupancy  of  a  professorial  chair. 
Taken  as  a  group  the  humanities  are  the  basis  of 
all  culture,  knowledge  of  them  is  essential  to  near- 
ly every  one  who  makes  writing  a  business,  and 
the  modern  scientist  who  is  unable  to  read  German 
and  French  is  in  a  sorry  plight. 

When  only  hundreds  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  a  university  education,  whereas  thousands  are 
now  enrolled  in  American  institutions  of  higher 
learning,  all  graduates,  somewhat  regardless  of 
exceptional  fitness  for  such  pursuits,  could  expect 
to  be  absorbed  into  the,  so-called,  learned  pro- 


378  Concerning  Cornell 

fessions.  The  great  numerical  increase  in  univer- 
sity students  now  demands  that  the  training  af- 
forded be  of  wider  scope  and  that  the  institution 
itself  should  exercise  a  selective  function.  The 
dullards  and  unwilling  should  be  eliminated  from 
participation  in  the  instruction  offered;  students 
of  exceptional  mentality  should  be  sorted  out  for 
the  scholarly  careers;  the  numerous  class  that  is 
assured  financial  independence,  by  virtue  of  family 
fortune,  should  receive  primarily  the  cultural 
training  that  will  make  for  intelligent  citizenship 
rather  than  personal  advantage;  and  by  far  the 
largest  group,  those  possessed  neither  of  genius 
nor  inhibited  by  stupidity,  the  class  that  needs  to 
earn  a  livelihood  by  the  initiative  and  efforts  of 
its  individual  members  directed  to  furthering  the 
constructive  work  of  the  world,  should  have  made 
available  to  it  such  a  variety  of  vocational  training 
as  will  permit  the  particular  qualifications  of  each 
learner  to  be  utilized  eventually  to  best  advantage, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community  at  large,  by 
fitting  him  to  the  occupation  for  which  he  is  best 
adapted.  Cornell,  with  her  motto:  "Where  any 
person  can  find  instruction  in  any  study,"  perhaps 
without  further  conscious  direction,  tends  more 
and  more  to  conform  to  such  an  educational 
scheme. 


CHAPTER  IX 

GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE  ITHACA-CORNELL  REGION 

AMONG  the  undergraduates,  at  least,  there 
»■  will  probably  be  a  good  many  readers  of  these 
pages  of  the  opinion  that  only  the  predilection  of 
the  author  warrants  the  appearance  of  this  chapter 
in  the  volume.  Accordingly,  it  may  be  well  to  dis- 
close to  such  critics,  at  the  outset,  the  surprising 
fact  that  a  number  of  individuals  have  asked  that 
a  discussion  of  this  kind  be  included  in  the  book. 
If  that  is  not  enough  justification  for  the  insertion 
of  some  modern,  every-day  geography  in  a  college 
book,  then  the  following  items  from  the  experiences 
of  the  two  founders  of  Cornell  University  will,  per- 
haps, serve  to  convince  continuing  objectors  that, 
even  if  a  bit  unpalatable,  a  little  geographic  read- 
ing, especially  on  the  subject  of  the  environment 
of  their  alma  mater,  will  do  them  no  harm. 

Ezra  Cornell  had  very  little  formal  schooling. 
Later  in  life  he  acquired  by  his  own  undirected 
reading  and  observation  a  vast  store  of  useful 
knowledge.  He  earned  his  fortune  by  promoting, 
constructing  and  operating  telegraph  lines  in 
western  states,  and  finally  made  it  secure  by  con- 
solidating these  lines  into  a  Wesiern  Union  Tele- 
graph Company.  Again,  he  was  able  to  increase 
enormously  the  value  of  the  university's  endow- 
ment by  investing  the  funds  in  western  timber 
lands.  In  both  instances,  then,  success  depended, 
primarily,    upon    an    intimate   knowledge   of   the 


380  Concerning  Cornell 

geography  of  those  areas.  And  yet,  as  he  himself 
said,  the  only  lesson  in  geography  he  ever  had  was 
in  giving  the  boundaries  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
which  was  said  to  be  limited  on  the  west  by  the 
"unknown  regions." 

Under  the  circumstances  it  would  not,  of 
course,  be  surprising  if  Ezra  Cornell  had  suggested 
that  a  mite  more  emphasis  and  accuracy  be  put 
into  geographic  training  than  was  afforded  him. 
If  his  case,  however,  be  thought  exceptional,  the 
testimony  of  Andrew  D.  White  may  be  more  to  the 
point  in  regard  to  the  basic  value  of  geographic 
knowledge.  Quoting  from  his  "Autobiography": 
"On  arriving  at  the  University  of  Michigan  in 
October,  1857, 1  took  especial  charge  of  the  sopho- 
more class.  Among  my  duties  was  their  examina- 
tion in  modern  geography  as  a  preliminary  to  their 
admission  to  my  course  in  history,  and  I  soon  dis- 
covered a  serious  weakness  in  the  public-school 
system.  In  her  preparatory  schools  the  state  of 
Michigan  took  especial  pride,  but  certainly  at  that 
time  they  were  far  below  their  reputation.  If 
any  subject  was  supposed  to  be  thoroughly  taught 
in  them  it  was  geography,  but  I  soon  found  that  in 
the  great  majority  of  my  students  there  was  not 
a  trace  of  real  knowledge  of  physical  geography  and 
very  little  of  political.  With  this  state  of  things  I 
at  once  grappled,  and  immediately  "conditioned" 
in  these  studies  about  nine-tenths  of  the  entering 
class.  At  first  there  were  many  protests;  but  I 
said  to  my  ingenuous  youths  that  no  pedantic 
study  was  needed,  that  all  I  required  was  a  prepa- 


Geography  of  the  Region  381 

ration  such  as  would  enable  any  one  of  them  to 
read  intelligently  his  morning  newspaper,  and  to 
this  end  I  advised  each  one  of  them  to  accept  his 
conditions,  to  abjure  all  learning  by  rote  from  text- 
books, to  take  up  simply  any  convenient  altas 
which  came  to  hand,  studying  first  the  map  of  our 
own  country,  with  its  main  divisions,  physical  and 
political,  its  water  communications,  trend  of  coasts, 
spurring  of  mountains,  position  of  leading  cities, 
etc.,  and  then  to  do  the  same  thing  with  each  of  the 
leading  countries  of  Europe,  and  finally  with  the 
other  main  divisions  of  the  world.  To  stimulate 
their  interest  and  show  them  what  was  meant,  I 
gave  a  short  course  of  lectures  on  physical  geogra- 
phy, showing  some  of  its  more  striking  effects  on 
history;  then  another  course  on  political  geogra- 
phy, with  a  similar  purpose;  and  finally  notified 
my  young  men  that  they  were  admitted  to  my 
classes  in  history  only  under  condition  that,  six 
weeks  later,  they  should  pass  an  examination  in 
geography,  full,  satisfactory,  and  final.  The  young 
fellows  now  took  their  conditions  very  kindly,  for 
they  clearly  saw  the  justice  of  them.  One  young 
man  said  to  me:  Trofessor,  you  are  entirely  right 
in  conditioning  me,  but  I  was  never  so  surprised  in 
my  life;  if  there  was  anything  that  I  supposed  I 
knew  well  it  was  geography;  why,  I  have  taught 
it,  and  very  successfully,  in  a  large  public  school. ' 
On  my  asking  him  how  he  taught  a  subject  in  which 
he  was  so  deficient,  he  answered  that  he  had  taught 
his  pupils  to  'sing'  it.  I  replied  that  if  he  would 
sing  the  answers  to  my  questions,  I  would  admit 


382  Concerning  Cornell 

him  at  once;  but  this  he  declined,  saying  that  he 
much  preferred  to  accept  the  conditions.  In  about 
six  weeks  I  held  the  final  examinations,  and  their 
success  amazed  us  all.  Not  a  man  failed,  and  some 
really  distinguished  themselves.  They  had  all 
gone  to  work  cordially  and  heartily,  arranging 
themselves  in  squads  and  clubs  for  mutual  study 
and  examination  on  each  physical  and  political 
map;  and  it  is  certain  that  by  this  simple,  common- 
sense  method  they  learned  more  in  six  weeks  than 
they  had  previously  learned  in  years  of  plodding 
along  by  rote,  day  after  day,  through  text-books. " 
Hence,  undergraduate  readers,  do  not  murmur 
because  some  statement  of  the  geography  of  your 
new  environment  is  thrust  upon  you,  herewith; 
for  of  a  certainty  you  have  good  warrant  that  it 
may  be  conned  to  advantage.  The  Ithaca-Cornell 
region  is  one  of  great  geographic  interest,  and  if,  in 
your  rides  and  rambles  to  its  points  of  scenic  at- 
traction, you  can  see  with  the  mind  as  well  as  with 
the  eye,  you  will  find  your  pleasure  doubled.  As 
for  Ithaca  itself,  remember  it  was  the  home  of  Ezra 
Cornell,  and  that,  in  addition  to  his  love  for  the 
university,  the  Founder  also  had  great  pride  in  his 
town,  and  that,  despite  his  early  deficiency  in  such 
training,  no  one  better  than  he  understood  the 
town's  geographic  advantages  and  handicaps.  For 
the  sake  of  conciseness  the  paragraphs  that  follow 
are  made  quite  formal.  If  some  of  the  matter  ap- 
pears quite  obvious  to  one  on  the  ground,  scarcely 
worth  setting  forth  in  print,  consider  how  necessary 
to  a  clear  understanding  it  will  be  to  those,  perhaps 


Geography  of  the  Region  383 

the  members  of  your  own  family  or  some  sub- 
freshman,  who  may  read  these  pages  at  a  distant 
place. 

The  Ithaca-Cornell  Region  is  located  in  west- 
ern, central  New  York  at  the  southern  end  of  Cay- 
uga Lake  (the  second  largest  of  the  Finger  Lakes 
that  characterize  the  general  district)  and  centers 
about  the  city  of  Ithaca,  which  has  a  population 
of  seventeen  thousand  and  four  people  (official 
report,  federal,  1920,  census)  and  is  the  site  of 
Cornell  University. 

During  much  of  the  most  ancient  geologic  time 
the  region  was  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  interior  sea. 
This  sea  varied  in  dimensions  during  the  different 
subdivisions  of  those  early  geologic  ages,  was  at 
times  widely  connected  with  the  open  ocean,  at 
others  had  only  a  constricted  outlet,  and  seems  to 
have  at  least  once  been  converted  into  a  saline, 
desert  basin,  when  salts  leached  from  surrounding 
formations  were  precipitated  in  thick,  horizontal 
layers  over  its  bottom.  These  layers  of  sodium 
chloride  are  the  basis  of  the  present-day  salt  indus- 
try of  the  region  and  from  the  days  of  early  settle- 
ment furnished,  by  the  medium  of  salt  springs,  the 
local  supplies  of  this  commodity. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  the  sea  bottom 
must  on  the  whole  have  been  progressively  sinking 
while  clay,  sand,  salt  and  lime  layers  were  being 
laid  down;  for  while  these  have  shallow  water 
characteristics  throughout  their  vertical  sections, 
they  nevertheless  aggregate  thousands  of  feet  in 
thickness,  as  now  existing,  and  that  despite  the 


384  Concerning  Cornell 

fact  that  much  of  their  original  upper  mass  has 
been  removed  by  erosional  processes.  These  clay 
and  sand  layers  were  eventually  converted  into 
shales  and  sandstones  by  the  pressure  of  material 
(deposited  later)  of  the  same  kind  and  by  proc- 
esses of  cementation. 

In  the  closing  epochs  of  the  ancient  geologic 
periods,  during  the  extensive  earth  movements 
that  have  been  termed  the  Appalachian  Revolu- 
tion, and  in  which  the  Appalachian  mountains  were 
first  uplifted,  this  region  in  common  with  wide 
adjacent  areas  to  the  east  and  west  was  raised 
high  above  sea-level.  The  uplift  in  this  particular 
locality  seems  to  have  been  essentially  uniform, 
slow,  and  nearly  vertical  in  direction,  as  the  lay- 
ered sediments  were  neither  much  fractured  or 
disturbed.  A  (comparatively)  slight  compressive 
force  was,  however,  exerted  for  the  rocks  were 
folded  into  a  series  of  east-west  striking  undula- 
tions forming  low  arches  and  troughs  in  the  rocks. 
The  original  slant  to  the  south  and  west  of  the 
sediments  deposited  on  the  floor  of  the  interior 
sea  was  increased  by  the  uplift,  as  this  was  greater 
in  amount  to  the  east  and  north,  but  the  total 
departure  from  the  horizontal  is  only  a  few  degrees. 

Following  the  uplift  came  a  long  period  of 
denudation  at  the  end  of  which,  in  Cretaceous 
(more  recent)  geological  time,  the  region  in  com- 
mon with  much  of  the  rest  of  the  continent  had 
been  worn  down  by  rain  and  rivers  to  a  nearly 
featureless  plain.  Another  uplift  followed,  like  the 
first  practically  without  compression. 


Geography  of  the  Region  385 

Thus,  once  again  made  a  highland,  the  region 
also  again  became  the  scene  of  active  stream  cut- 
ting which  continued  until  ridges  between  streams 
were  rounded  and  valleys  were  worn  and  weathered 
broadly  open.  The  slight  slope  of  the  strata  to  the 
south  sufficed  to  make  north-facing  cliffs  by  weath- 
ering action,  the  most  conspicuous  of  which, 
south  of  the  Niagara  cliff,  was  that  due  to  the 
resistant  top  layers  of  sandstone  in  the  Portage 
formation.  To  the  east  of  Cayuga  Lake  this  Por- 
tage escarpment  or  cliff  is  well  developed  in  the 
Ithaca  region  along  the  north  front  of  Turkey  Hill 
and  quite  distinctly  bisects  the  region  into  north 
and  south  halves.  The  part  lying  to  the  north 
belongs,  in  general,  to  the  central  lowland  of  North 
America,  that  to  the  south  is  part  of  the  Appala- 
chian Plateau.  This  small  region,  hence  lies  on 
the  boundary  zone  between  two  important  physi- 
ographic provinces.  To  the  west  of  Cayuga  Lake 
the  Portage  escarpment  fades  out  as  a  distinct 
topographic  feature  and  the  merging  of  the  plain 
and  plateau  upland  is  inconspicuous.  Apparently 
the  main  drainage  of  the  region  at  this  time  was  by 
a  stream  to  the  north  along  the  line  of  the  Cayuga 
Lake  trough.  At  Ithaca  a  number  of  streams  flow- 
ing in  broad,  open  valleys  were  confluent,  both 
from  the  east  and  south,  and  these  seem  to  have 
afforded  most  of  the  volume  for  the  north-flowing 
Cayuga  stream.  Coming  from  the  east  was  the 
Fall  Creek  following  the  base  of  the  north-facing 
Portage  escarpment.  The  valley  next  south  of  the 
divide   formed   by   the   Portage   escarpment   was 


386  Concerning  Cornell 

developed  by  Cascadilla  Creek  also  flowing  from 
the  east  and  in  its  lower  course  parallel  to  Fall 
Creek.  Two  other  streams,  Six  Mile  Creek  from 
the  south  and  the  Cayuga  Inlet  from  the  south- 
west, occupied  similar  mature  valleys.  The  closely 
spaced  points  of  junction  of  these  streams  resulted 
in  the  development  of  an  extensive  interstream 
plain  by  the  lateral  wearing  and  weathering  away 
of  the  spur  ends  of  the  divides  separating  their 
valleys.  A  remnant  of  this  plain  is  now  occupied 
by  the  campus  of  Cornell  University  and  the  East 
Hill  section  of  Ithaca  with  farm  lands  in  the  rear. 
The  end  of  the  Portage  Escarpment  is  known  as 
Turkey  II ill,  its  continuation  eastward  as  Mount 
Pleasant,  the  divide  between  Cascadilla  Creek  and 
Six  Mile  Creek  is  Hungerford  Hill,  that  between 
Six  Mile  Creek  and  the  Cayuga  Inlet  constitutes 
South  Hill.  The  summits  of  these  divides,  as  they 
extend  southward,  are  slightly  rolling  (in  a  broad 
sense,  level-topped)  uplands  and  on  their  wider 
expanses  probably  present  with  but  little  change 
the  topography  of  the  Cretaceous  wearing  down 
to  a  plain.  To  the  south,  possibly  some  fifteen  or 
sixteen  miles  from  the  present  head  of  Cayuga 
Lake,  an  east-west  divide  separated  the  drainage 
described  from  streams  flowing  into  the  Susque- 
hanna. The  physiographic  development  in  so  far 
as  it  is  apparent  in  the  present  day  topography,  is 
indicated  in  the  block  diagram  which  will  serve  to 
make  clear  the  important  relations. 

There  is  some  evidence  of  another  uplift  follow- 
ing the  development  so  far  described,  but  if  this 


Geography  of  the  Region  387 

took  place  its  rejuvenating  effect  has  been  much 
obscured  by  shortly  subsequent  invasion  of  the  re- 
gion by  glacial  ice  in  very  recent  geological  time. 
The  advance  of  the  ice  was  almost  directly  from 
the  north  in  the  Ithaca  region  so  that  it  thrust  its 
front  squarely  against  the  rising  slopes  and  escarp- 
ments of  the  Appalachian  Plateau  border.  The 
breaches  in  the  plateau  front,  made  by  the  north- 
flowing  streams,  however,  afforded  low  altitude 
channels  by  which  the  ice  could  project  lobes,  in 
advance  of  the  main  front,  for  considerable  dis- 
tances into  the  highland  area.  These  north-south 
valleys  were,  accordingly,  first  occupied  by  the 
glacier,  and,  as  the  ice  thickened,  they  became  also 
the  main  channels  of  ice  movement  southward; 
were,  in  other  words,  the  routes  of  the  thickest, 
most  powerful  and  most  rapidly  moving  ice  cur- 
rents. The  erosive  effect  of  the  ice  was  thereby 
concentrated  in  the  north-south  valleys  and  these 
valleys  were  much  overdeepened  by  ice  erosion  and 
thus  the  basins  of  the  Finger  Lakes,  of  which  Cay- 
uga Lake  is  one,  with  bottoms  in  some  instances 
below  sea-level,  were  developed.  At  the  heads  of 
the  north-south  valleys  the  east- west  Susquehanna 
divide  was  shortly  overtopped  and  the  ice  passing 
over  proceeded  to  cut  this  comparatively  narrow 
barrier  completely  away.  Thus  through  valleys  join- 
ing the  northern  drainage  to  the  southern  drainage 
by  very  low  gaps  were  developed,  of  which  the 
Cayuga  Inlet  and  Six  Mile  Creek  valleys  in  the 
Ithaca  region  are  notable  examples. 

The  lower  end  of  the  Cayuga  Inlet  valley,  in 


388  Concerning  Cornell 

part  possibly  because  it  was  originally  larger,  in 
part  also  because  it  was  more  directly  in  line  with 
the  ice  movement,  was  eroded  more  deeply  by  the 
ice  than  the  Six  Mile  Creek  valley,  when  the  ice 
current,  coming  in  through  the  Cayuga  valley, 
was  divided  by  the  nose  of  South  Hill.  Hence, 
while  the  Cayuga  Inlet  valley  now  enters  the  main 
Cayuga  valley  accordant  with  the  present  grade, 
the  Six  Mile  Creek  valley  that  was  less  effectively 
ice-eroded  has  been  left  in  a  hanging  condition. 
The  same  relations  are  much  more  conspicuously 
apparent  in  the  case  of  the  east- west  valleys,  those 
of  Cascadilla  and  Fall  Creek.  These  troughs  were 
nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  line  of  ice  movement, 
hence  were  occupied  only  by  diverted  and  relatively 
feeble  glacial  currents.  Consequently,  as  streams 
once  more  flowed  in  these  east-west  valleys  they 
plunged,  at  their  lower  ends,  in  a  series  of  cascades 
to  the  levels  of  the  much  more  overdeepened  north- 
south  Cayuga  valley.  As  time  went  on  the  differ- 
ence in  resistance  of  the  layers  of  the  horizontal, 
bedrock-structure  became  effective  in  developing 
step  falls,  and  as  these  progressively  wore  back 
upstream,  the  gorges  were  cut  that  now  mark  the 
north  and  south  boundaries  of  the  Cornell  Univer- 
sity campus,  which  occupies  the  western  border  of 
the  portion  of  the  earlier  interstream  plain  that  the 
ice  erosion  failed  to  cut  away.  Nearby  are  many 
other  east-west  streams  that  show  the  same  hang- 
ing condition  with  reference  to  the  north-south 
Cayuga  valley  and  a  similar  later  development  of 
gorges  and  falls. 


Geography  of  the  Region 


389 


390  Concerning  Cornell 

A  further  complication  in  the  development  of 
the  valleys  must  be  considered.  There  were  prob- 
ably two,  if  not  more,  ice  invasions  of  the  region. 
After  the  withdrawal  of  the  first  ice,  glacial  debris, 
moraine  deposited  in  the  valley  bottoms,  commonly 
diverted  the  streams  from  the  axes  of  the  troughs  to 
one  side  or  the  other  of  the  valleys.  After  cutting 
through  the  thinner  veneer  of  morainic  stuff  at 
such  points,  the  streams  were  let  down  on  bed-rock; 
into  which  they  proceeded  to  cut  side  gorges.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  between  glaciations  these  gorges 
developed  to  a  much  larger  size  than  has  been 
possible  in  post-glacial  time.  (It  is  possible  that 
these  larger  gorges  were  developed  during  a  pre- 
glacial  uplift  of  the  region  and  were  obscured  by  the 
ice  invasion  and  its  results.)  A  second  ice  advance 
resulted  in  further  morainic  deposits  not  disposed 
as  the  first  had  been.  Consequently  the  previously 
developed  gorges  were  in  part  filled  up  and  the 
streams  once  more  started  along  new  channels  over 
the  valley  bottoms.  In  places  they  found  the 
earlier  gorges  and  rapidly  scooped  out  the  uncon- 
solidated glacial  material,  elsewhere  they  entered 
on  gorge  cutting  anew.  Thus  the  middle  and 
lower  sections,  especially,  of  the  east-west  streams 
are  at  present  marked  by  amphitheatre  hollows 
where  the  stream  is  flowing  along  the  line  of  an 
interglacial  (?)  wide  gorge  and  these  are  connected 
by  short  sections  of  young,  post-glacial  gorges  cut 
into  the  bed-rock  of  the  valley  side. 

Though  much  lowered,  the  east- west  divides 
between  the  Susquehanna  and  the  north-flowing 


Geography  of  the  Region  391 

drainage  were  not  wholly  swept  away  in  the  for- 
mation of  the  through  valleys.  Furthermore,  a 
somewhat  prolonged  halt  in  the  withdrawal  of  the 
ice  resulted  in  the  development  of  a  pronounced 
moraine-loop  barrier  across  these  valleys  in  the 
former  divide  region.  Thus  morainic  ridges,  plus 
so  much  of  the  original  rock  divide  as  remains 
below  them,  formed  water-partings  of  considerable 
elevation  during  the  later  retreat  of  the  ice  and 
have  continued  so  since.  In  the  period  immedi- 
ately following  the  building  of  the  moraines,  north- 
flowing  water  from  these  divides  was  ponded  back 
by  the  ice  that  still  occupied  the  lower  ends  of 
the  valleys  and  in  this  fashion  a  number  of  progla- 
cial  lakes  were  created.  At  first,  both  the  Cayuga 
Inlet  and  the  Six  Mile  valley  had  its  separate  lake 
(as  well  as  some  of  the  other  valleys)  standing  at 
different  levels  according  to  the  height  of  the  di- 
vide at  the  south  over  the  moraine  barrier.  In  the 
Cayuga  Inlet  valley  this  was  at  about  one  thou- 
sand forty  feet  above  the  sea;  in  the  Six  Mile  Creek 
valley  at  nine  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  sea- 
level.  A  farther  retreat  of  the  ice  resulted  in  the 
junction  of  the  two  lakes,  the  waters  of  the  one  in 
the  Cayuga  Inlet  valley  flowing  around  the  nose 
of  South  Hill  in  falling  to  the  lower  level  of  the  lake 
in  the  Six  Mile  Creek  valley.  As  the  ice  melted 
back  farther  to  the  north,  successively  lower  chan- 
nels of  escape  for  the  water  were  bared  and  the 
lakes  in  accordance  fell  to  lower  and  lower  levels. 
During  the  existence  of  the  high  level  lakes  a 
large  amount  of  freshly  deposited  morainic  ma- 


392  Concerning  Cornell 

terial  was  peculiarly  available  for  stream  trans- 
portation and  this,  plus  that  brought  by  streams 
out-flowing  from  under  or  in  the  ice,  furnished  a 
great  quantity  of  sediment  for  deposit  on  the  lake 
bottom.  At  the  stream  mouths  huge  deltas  of 
gravel  and  sand  were  formed  at  each  successive 
level  of  the  lakes.  These  deltas  are  now  conspic- 
uous topographic  landmarks  as  they  project  in  well 
developed,  steep-front  and  flat-topped  terraces  on 
the  valley  sides.  After  any  one  of  the  lowerings  of 
the  lake  the  stream  would  cut  through  the  delta 
just  formed  and  use  this  material  in  part  to  build 
the  new,  lower  mass.  Thus  all  the  deltas  are  bi- 
sected by  the  later  channel  of  the  stream  that  built 
them.  When  the  bottom  of  any  one  delta  was 
reached,  the  stream  found  itself  superimposed  on 
the  bed-rock  and  started  the  erosion  of  a  rock  gorge. 
Enough  time  has  elapsed,  since  the  complete  dis- 
appearance of  the  ice  barrier  and  the  establishment 
of  the  present  drainage  levels,  for  the  extension  of 
the  delta  building,  at  the  mouths  of  the  various 
streams  confluent  at  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake,  to 
join  and  completely  fill  in  the  end  of  the  basin. 
Over  this  delta-filling  later  floodplain  and  alluvial 
deposits  have  been  spread;  and  by  this  combina- 
tion of  processes  the  mile  and  a  half  long,  level- 
topped  Inlet  Plain  has  been  formed.  On  this  plain 
the  main  part  of  the  city  of  Ithaca  has  been  built. 
As  early  as  1656  white  men,  two  Jesuit  Fathers, 
entered  the  Ithaca  region  and  dwelt  among  the 
Indians  for  some  nine  months.  They  departed  be- 
cause of  anticipated  difficulties  with  the  natives 


Geography  of  the  Region  393 

and  it  was  not  until  1668  that  the  mission  was 
reestablished  and  continued  until  1684  at  Cayu- 
ga, N.  Y.,  on  Lake  Cayuga.  In  1671-72  Father 
Raffeix  was  temporarily  stationed  there  and  wrote 
an  account  of  the  natural  aspect  of  his  "canton." 
From  this  it  appears  that  while  most  of  the  country 
was  forested  the  Indians  had  made  considerable 
clearings,  the  larger  ones  being  "oak  openings" 
which  were  burnt  over  annually  for  hunting  pur- 
poses, while  smaller  tracts  near  the  villages  were 
planted  to  corn.  Apparently  these  rather  exten- 
sive cleared  areas  were  located  almost  entirely  to 
the  north  of  the  line  of  the  Portage  escarpment. 
Over  the  dissected  plateau  area,  from  Ithaca  south 
to  the  Susquehanna,  the  forest  was  practically  un- 
broken, dense,  and  tangled,  the  "dark  forest," 
according  to  the  testimony  of  this  and  other  early 
observers.  [These  accounts  and  other  information 
in  regard  to  the  primitive  flora  of  the  region  are 
summarized  in  "The  Cayuga  Flora,"  by  W.  R. 
Dudley,  Bulletin  of  the  Cornell  University  (Sci- 
ence) Vol.  II,  1886.] 

On  the  rolling,  upland  summits  white  pine  pre- 
dominated. In  the  valley  bottoms  at  Ithaca,  par- 
ticularly near  the  head  of  the  delta-floodplain  the 
white  pine  merged  into  oak,  elm  and  maple  woods, 
though  there  were  also  extensive  cleared  fields, 
cultivated  by  the  Indians,  on  this  ground,  together 
with  apple  orchards,  this  fruit  apparently  having 
been  introduced  by  the  Jesuits.  The  same  type  of 
forest  continued  northward  along  the  shores  of 
the  lake  and  on  the  lower  lands  to  the  east  of  its 


394  Concerning  Cornell 

shore.  The  front  of  the  delta  was  marsh  land. 
Lake  Cayuga  was  called  "Tiohero"  or  the  "lake  of 
flags  and  rushes"  by  the  Indians  because  of  such 
growth  at  both  its  northern  and  southern  ends. 
Extensive  swamps  were  also  present  at  all  the  wa- 
ter partings.  In  these  divide  swamps  the  tama- 
rack, black  spruce  and  balsam  fir  were  native  and 
still  occur,  as  well  as  the  hemlock;  though  the  last 
is  much  more  abundant  in  the  region,  and  has  its 
especial  habitat,  on  the  sides  of  the  post-glacial 
gorges.  The  tamarack,  spruce  and  balsam  fir,  as 
well  as  the  wild  primrose  (Primula  Mistassinica) 
which  is  found  on  the  cold,  wet,  south  walls  of  the 
gorges,  are  to  be  regarded  as  subarctic  species  which 
migrated  from  the  north  before  the  continental  gla- 
cier and  were  left  behind  in  such  isolated,  but  con- 
genial habitats  on  the  retreat  of  the  ice.  Primula 
Mistassinica  for  example,  now  has  its  natural  habi- 
tat about  the  shores  of  a  lake  of  the  same  name  on 
the  Labrador  peninsula.  On  the  dry  and  sandy 
knolls  of  the  dissected,  high-level  deltas  other  ex- 
ceptional forms  occur,  as  for  instance,  the  pitch 
pine  and  the  red  or  Norway  pine.  In  these  special 
instances  the  native  flora  shows  interesting  adap- 
tations to  its  geographic  environment. 

Thus  practically  all  the  region  (for  the  Indian 
clearings  were  largely  to  the  north)  had  originally 
a  dense  forest  cover.  Of  this  comparatively  little 
remains.  Clumps  of  trees,  farm  woodlots,  still  dot 
the  lower  slopes  and  valley  bottoms,  and  a  ribbon 
of  forest  marks  the  course  of  each  of  the  gorges. 
Larger  tracts  of  woodland  occupy  the  higher  parts 


Geography  of  the  Region  395 

of  the  uplands  and  the  glacially  over-steepened 
slopes  of  the  through  valleys  to  the  south ;  and  are 
also  found  on  the  swampy  divide  areas  and  over 
rough  and  stony  morainic  ground.  Practically  all 
of  this  is,  however,  second  growth  timber.  As 
early  as  1853  it  was  noted  in  a  local  pamphlet 
["Ithaca  As  It  Was,"  H.  C.  Goodwin,  Ithaca, 
N.  Y.,  1853,  p.  3.]  that  three-fourths  of  the  county 
(Tompkins)  was  improved  land.  In  1886  the  only 
virgin  tract  of  white  pine  consisted  of  an  area  about 
forty  acres  in  extent  that  occupied  the  hillocky 
moraine  at  the  head  of  the  Inlet  Creek,  and  this 
has  since  been  cleared.  Much  of  this  timber  was 
undoubtedly  converted  into  lumber.  In  1832  the 
export  of  lumber  from  the  county  ["Facts  Relative 
to  the  Trade,  etc.,  of  the  County  of  Tompkins," 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1832,  p.  7.]  had  an  annual  value  of 
four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but  in  the  same  year 
ashes  brought  twenty-seven  thousand  dollars,  indi- 
cating that  much  timber  (estimated  at  sixty  per 
cent)  was  burnt  in  clearing  land  for  agriculture. 
The  ashes  were  used  to  make  potash,  an  industry 
that  began  as  early  as  1804.  ["Early  History  of 
Ithaca."  H.  King,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1847,  p.  13.] 
Latterly  even  the  small  timber  on  the  steepened 
slopes  and  uplands  is  being  cut  and  the  land  allowed 
to  stand  idle  or  used  for  pasture.  Formerly  the 
thick  woods  on  the  uplands  held  back  the  melting 
of  the  winter  snows,  now  the  water  goes  off  very 
rapidly  after  spring  first  sets  in.  Much  of  the  land 
now  cleared  ought  to  be  replanted  to  forest. 
Neither   the   early   or   later   clearing   had   much 


396  Concerning  Cornell 

reference  to  geographic  conditions.  Woodlots  still 
occupy  rich  lowlands;  barren  hillsides  too  steep 
even  for  good  pastures  were  cleared.  About  thirty 
years  are  required  to  regrow  merchantable  timber 
on  land  that  has  been  cleared  and  as  this  is  a  long 
time  investment  it  would  be  well  to  exempt  such 
lands  from  taxation  until  the  forest  is  cut.  Land 
that  would  not  sell  for  over  fifteen  dollars  per  acre 
as  farm  land  produced  nearly  five  dollars  per  acre, 
annually,  in  natural  regrowth  of  timber  without 
care,  for  the  twenty-two  years  required  to  pro- 
duce the  forest.  [An  Agricultural  Survey  of  (part) 
Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.  Warren,  G.  F.  and  Liver- 
more,  K.  C,  et  al.  Bull.  295  Cornell  Univ.  Exp't 
Station,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1911,  p.  471.] 

The  primitive  forest  abounded  in  game.  Deer 
were  very  plentiful,  as  were  also  bear;  these  animals 
supplied  the  early  settlers  with  most  of  their  meat. 
In  1789  the  first  trading  was  done  by  the  Ithaca 
community  and  consisted  of  the  exchange  of  maple- 
sugar  and  marten,  otter,  beaver,  fox,  bear  and  deer 
skins,  for  tea,  coffee,  crockery,  hardware,  lead,  gun- 
powder and  liquor.  In  1823  it  was  still  thought 
worth  while  to  organize  a  "Grand  Deer  and  Wolf 
Drive"  because  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county 
the  "repose  of  the  settler  is  disturbed  by  the  mid- 
night howl  of  the  Wolf  and  yell  of  the  Panther. " 
On  this  occasion  some  eight  hundred  men,  during 
two  December  days,  closed  in  on  a  section  of 
country  about  nineteen  miles  in  circumference  lo- 
cated some  ten  miles  to  the  southwest  of  Ithaca 
around  Newfield.    No  record  seems  to  be  available 


Geography  of  the  Region  :;i)7 

as  to  the  results  of  this  hunt.  By  1853  three- 
fourths  of  the  area  of  the  county  was  reported  as 
improved  land  but  in  1832  deer  skins  were  still  an 
article  of  considerable  importance  in  the  list  of 
exports. 

The  average  and  extremes  of  temperature  in  the 
Ithaca  region  vary  several  degrees  according  to  the 
exact  locality,  the  chief  factors  of  this  difference 
being  relative  elevation  and  distance  from  Cayuga 
Lake.  The  average  annual  temperature  at  Ithaca 
(campus  of  the  University)  is  47°  F.,  that  for  the 
six  summer  months  being  a  trifle  below  60°  F.  and 
for  the  winter  months  33°  F.  In  the  upland-valleys, 
to  the  south  and  west  the  annual  average  temper- 
ature is  2°  F.  lower  than  at  Ithaca,  though  the  dif- 
ference in  altitude  between  the  observing  stations  is 
only  a  little  over  one  hundred  feet.  This  relation 
holds,  essentially,  for  all  the  months  of  the  year, 
as  it  does  also  for  the  average  difference  in  tem- 
perature between  the  two  stations  on  the  hottest 
days  for  a  number  of  years.  But  the  upland  valley 
station  record  shows  an  average  of  6°  F.  greater 
cold  for  the  coldest  days  in  a  number  of  years. 
From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  effect,  on  aver- 
age temperatures,  of  greater  elevation  and  remote- 
ness from  the  lake  is  a  slight  annual  lowering  of  the 
temperature,  accentuated  in  winter  extremes.  The 
highest  summer  temperature  officially  recorded  at 
Ithaca  is  102°  F.,  the  lowest— 20°  F.  This  shows 
the  climate  to  be  one  of  great  extremes  in  annual 
temperature  and  the  range  from  day  to  day  is  also 
great;  thus  it  extended  over  30°  F.  in  the  eighteen 


398  Concerning  Cornell 

hours  following  midnight  January  30,  1915.  [These 
and  other  climatic  data  that  follow  are  for  the  most 
part  from:  Climatic  Summary  for  Ithaca,  N.  Y. 
Published  Sept.,  1914,  Local  Office  U.  S.  Weather 
Bureau,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  and:  Frosts  in  New  York, 
W.  M.  Wilson,  Bulletin  316,  Cornell  University 
Agr.  Exp't  Station,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  1912.]  The  av- 
erage temperature  for  the  months  when  the  uni- 
versity is  in  session,  October  to  May,  inclusive,  is 
only  slightly  below  40°  F.  the  optimum  average 
temperature  for  mental  activity  as  defined  by 
Huntingdon.  [Climate  and  Civilization,  Hunting- 
don, E.,  Harpers  Monthly,  Vol.  CXXX,  Feb.,  1915, 
p.  367.]  Perhaps  the  students  and  faculty  have  not 
appreciated  this  favoring  geographic  influence  but 
no  doubt  it  has  been  exerting  its  due  effect. 

The  influence  of  Lake  Cayuga  is  particularly 
marked  in  connection  with  the  length  of  the  grow- 
ing season  as  delimited  by  the  last  and  first  killing 
frosts.  At  Ithaca  the  average  date  of  the  last  kill- 
ing frost  in  spring  is  May  4th,  and  the  first  one  in 
fall  October  10th,  giving  a  season  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  days.  In  the  upland  valley  station, 
previously  referred  to,  the  corresponding  dates  are 
May  18th  and  September  27th,  hence  a  growing  sea- 
son of  only  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  days.  This 
is  almost  a  month's  difference,  and  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that,  in  locations  otherwise  favorable  and 
nearer  to  the  lake  than  the  Weather  Bureau  station 
at  Ithaca,  the  season  may  be  even  longer.  It  may 
be  noted,  in  comparison,  that  the  growing  season 
around  New  York  City  is  two  hundred  days,  at 


Geography  of  the  Region  399 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  days, 
at  Columbus,  Ohio,  one  hundred  and  eighty-three 
days.  In  central  New  York  State  latitudes  hillsides 
with  southern  exposure  are  warmest,  next  come 
those  facing  east,  then  west  and  last  those  looking 
to  the  north.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  as 
Cayuga  Lake  extends  north  and  south,  a  slope 
sheltered  from  the  prevailing  wind  on  the  west  side 
of  the  lake  has  a  distinct  advantage  of  location 
with  regard  to  the  duration  of  the  growing  season. 
This  may  be  of  more  than  usual  importance  in  the 
Ithaca  region  because  the  locality  lies  within  the 
belt  of  the  average  track  of  most  of  the  cyclonic 
storms  that  pass  over  the  northeastern  United 
States.  The  resulting  cloudiness  reduces  the 
amount  of  sunshine  received  at  Ithaca  to  eight  per 
cent  less  annually  than  that  received  at  New  York 
City  (expressed  in  terms  of  the  percentage  of  that 
possible  in  each  place)  and  in  April  to  twelve  per 
cent  less.  Accordingly  hours  of  sunshine  count  for 
more  in  Ithaca  than  in  New  York  City,  especially 
during  the  month  of  April  at  the  beginning  of  the 
growing  season.  It  further  appears,  on  examina- 
tion of  the  local  weather  station  records,  [Compiled 
at  the  suggestion  of  the  writer  by  Mr.  L.  A.  Haus- 
man,  instructor  in  Meteorology,  Cornell  Univer- 
sity.] that  during  the  five  years,  1909-13,  from  four 
to  ten  hours  more  of  early  morning  sunshine,  than 
of  late  afternoon  sunshine  were  received  during 
each  April.  In  May  the  reverse  is  the  case.  But 
as  April  is  the  critical  month  when  the  soil  is  being 
warmed  up  and  growth  started,  it  would  seem  that 


400  Concerning  Cornell 

the  slopes  that  face  the  morning  sun  have  the 
advantage  in  this  also. 

The  reference  to  its  position  with  regard  to  the 
average  track  of  cyclonic  storms  will  suggest  that 
the  Ithaca  region  is  not  deficient  in  rainfall.  At 
Ithaca  itself  the  average  annual  precipitation  is 
thirty-four  inches,  at  the  upland  valley  station 
nearby  it  is  thirty-eight  inches;  New  York  City 
has  forty -five  inches.  While  New  York  City  has 
a  greater  rainfall,  it  is  not  so  uniformly  distributed 
as  the  Ithaca  precipitation,  Ithaca  having  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  days  on  the  average  annu- 
ally with  a  precipitation  of  one-hundredth  inch  or 
more,  while  New  York  City  has  only  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight.  However,  New  York  City  gets 
twenty-six  inches  during  its  growing  season  while 
Ithaca  receives  only  seventeen.  Even  if  the 
amount  of  precipitation  received  at  Ithaca  during 
the  two  months  of  New  York's  longer  growing 
season  are  added,  the  total  falls  below  New  York 
City's;  only  twenty-two  inches  at  Ithaca  as  com- 
pared to  twenty-six  inches  at  New  York.  As  the 
soils  of  the  Ithaca  region  have  poor  drainage  con- 
ditions; are  apt  to  be  too  wet  in  spring  and  too 
dry  in  summer  it  would  appear  that  a  higher  sum- 
mer rainfall  would  be  of  material  benefit  to  the 
agriculture  of  the  area.  The  annual  snowfall  aver- 
ages fifty-six  inches  as  compared  to  thirty-five 
inches  at  New  York  and  forty-seven  at  Bingham- 
ton.  This  snowfall  generally  persists  for  consider- 
able periods  and  affords  good  sledding,  thus 
materially  facilitates  country  hauling  in  winter. 


Geography  of  the  Region  40] 

The  prevailing  wind  direction  is  from  the  north- 
west, thirty  per  cent  of  the  time,  followed  by  winds 
from  the  southeast  for  twenty-three  per  cent  of  the 
time. 

Several  minor  climatic  influences  may  be  noted 
here.  Though  possessed  of  romantic  scenery,  a 
lake,  gorges,  waterfalls  and  hills,  and  though  read- 
ily accessible  from  several  large  centers  of  popula- 
tion the  region  has  never  had  as  great  a  vogue  as  a 
summer  resort  as  might  be  expected,  the  primary 
reason  being  the  cloudiness  and  coolness  of  the 
early  summer  months.  This  has  made  lakeside 
hotel  ventures  in  general  unprofitable  as  such  en- 
terprises go.  Then,  too,  bathing  is  not  good,  partly 
because  of  the  general  absence  of  good  beaches 
and  the  abrupt  deepening  of  the  water  offshore, 
also  because  when  a  warm  south  wind  blows  the 
warm  surface  waters  are  drifted  to  the  north  end 
of  the  lake  and  the  water  is  cold;  while  on  days 
when  the  waters  are  warm,  a  north  wind  usually 
makes  the  air  too  cool  for  comfort.  While  the  open 
reaches  of  the  lake  are  admirable  for  sailing,  sudden 
squalls  are  common  because  of  air  drainage  coming 
down  the  hanging  valleys  and  first  striking  the  lake 
surface  at  a  distance  from  the  shore.  Because  of 
this  phenomenonand  because  of  all-year-round  low 
temperature  of  the  deeper  waters  of  the  lake,  a 
number  of  drownings  from  upset  sailboats  and  an 
even  greater  number  from  overturned  canoes  have 
occurred,  and  this  record  also  adversely  affects  the 
popularity  of  the  lakeside  as  a  summer  resort. 

In  September,  1779,  detachments  from  General 


402  Concerning  Cornell 

Sullivan's  army  sent  out  by  Washington  to  "Chas- 
tise and  humble  the  Six  Nations"  utterly  destroyed 
the  Indian  villages  along  Cayuga  Lake  and  wasted 
the  native  plantations  and  orchards.  One  of  these 
villages,  Coreorgonel,  consisting  of  twenty-five 
"elegantly  built  houses"  was  situated  on  the  mo- 
rainic  hillocks  that  terminate  the  delta-fioodplain 
area  on  the  west  side  of  the  Inlet  Creek.  The 
Indians  who  occupied  it  were  not  of  Iroquois  stock, 
but  Tutelos,  originally  inhabitants  of  the  piedmont 
country  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  This  is  of 
interest  in  connection  with  the  place  names  of  the 
region  for  the  Tutelos  removed  to  this  point  in 
1753  (after  concluding  a  peace  with  the  Iroquois 
who  had  long  harried  them)  in  company  with  an 
allied  tribe,  the  Saponis,  who  had  suffered  like 
tribulations.  The  Saponis  settled  in  one  of  the 
through  valleys  on  the  upland  to  the  southwest  of 
Ithaca  and  this  today  is  called  "Pony  Hollow"  a 
corruption  of  the  original  Saponi  Hollow.  [See 
Handbook  of  American  Indians,  Bulletin  30.  Parts 
I  and  II,  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  Smith- 
sonian Institution  1907,  1910,  for  references  to 
literature.]  Although  their  settlements  were  de- 
stroyed and  the  Indians  themselves  driven  toward 
Niagara  in  1779,  and  although  they  had  formally 
ceded  their  lands  to  the  state  in  1789,  it  seems  that 
a  considerable  number  of  the  natives  remained  in 
the  Cayuga  country  for  some  years  later,  as  they 
are  mentioned  in  the  accounts  of  the  first  white 
settlement  of  the  region,  1788-90.  Thus  it  is 
related  that  in  winter  the  natives  pitched  their 


Geography  of  the  Region 


403 


wigwams  on  the  level  lands  within  the  mouth  of 
the  interglacial  Six  Mile  Creek  gorge  near  State 
Street,  securing  rather  complete  protection  from 
cold  northwest  storms  under  the  steep  and  high 
rock  walls.  This  is  the  area  that  has  recently  been 
made  a  city  park  by  Ithaca.  It  is  well  adapted  to 
such  use  because  of  its  romantic  scenery  and  the 
association  of  the  place  with  the  earliest  aboriginal 
occupation  of  the  region  adds  much  to  the  interest 
of  the  park  as  a  recreation  center.  With  the  advent 
of  spring  the  Indians  moved  to  higher  ground,  par- 
ticularly to  the  site  of  the  earlier  town  of  Coreor- 
gonel  where  there  were  native  orchards.  Thus  it 
appears  that  geographic  conditions  exerted  some 
influence  on  the  habits  of  the  Indian  residents  of 
the  region. 

In  September,  1789,  three  white  families,  com- 
prising nineteen  individuals,  removed  from  Kings- 
ton, N.  Y.,  to  the  present 
site  of  Ithaca,  bringing 
with  them  some  house- 
hold chattels.  A  month 
was  consumed  by  this 
party  in  their  journey 
from  Kingston  to  Owego. 
Their  route  in  the  main 
followed  geographic  lines 
and  is  now  paralleled  for 
the  most  part  by  rail- 
ways. From  Kingston 
they  went  northwestward 
along  a  route  that  is  now 


XfiKK&C1* 


AN    OLD    STONE    HOUSE 


404  Concerning  Cornell 

followed  by  the  Ulster  &  Delaware  railway.  Cross- 
ing the  divide  of  the  Catskills  they  arrived  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  East  Branch  of  the  Delaware 
River,  probably  near  the  present  village  of  Arkville. 
Here  canoes  were  fashioned  in  which  they  floated 
down  the  Delaware  River  to  a  point  a  little  below 
the  junction  of  the  East  and  West  branches  of  that 
stream.  This  portion  of  the  route  is  now  followed 
by  the  Delaware  &  Northern  railway  and  the  New 
York,  Ontario  &  Western  road.  From  the  Dela- 
ware they  portaged  across  the  divide  between  that 
stream  and  the  Susquehanna  at  what  was  called 
its  Great  Bend  near  Lanesboro,  Pa.  No  railroad 
crosses  this  divide  just  at  this  point  but  the  Erie 
railroad  makes  the  climb  from  the  Delaware  to  the 
Susquehanna  valley  just  a  few  miles  farther  north 
and  continues  westward  in  the  valley  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna River  to  Owego  and  beyond.  At  the 
Susquehanna  the  settlers  once  more  constructed 
canoes  and  floated  down  stream  to  Owego.  While 
modern  traffic  between  the  east  and  the  west  has 
abandoned  the  settlers'  route  in  large  part,  it  is 
nevertheless  of  geographic  interest  to  note  its 
directness  and  the  extent  to  which  the  stream 
courses  were  utilized  in  making  the  trip. 

Nineteen  days  more  were  needed  to  complete 
the  last  stage  of  the  journey,  the  part  from  Owego 
to  Ithaca,  a  distance  of  only  twenty-nine  miles. 
While  an  Indian  trail,  succinctly  described  as  a 
well  beaten  path,  marked  the  way  between  these 
points,  it  seems  that  the  settlers  secured  horses  and 
stock  at  Owego,  presumably  wagons  also,  conse- 


Geography  of  the  Region  405 

quently  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  clear  off  the 
forest  in  advance  of  their  march,  hence  the  long 
time  it  took  to  cover  the  short  distance.  The  high- 
way they  opened  in  this  manner  followed  one  of  the 
lowlying  gaps,  across  the  upland  country,  due  to 
glaciation,  the  through  valley  of  Six  Mile  Creek, 
which  was  later  destined  to  become  an  important 
factor  in  the  development  of  the  region. 

Economic  motives,  a  desire  to  improve  their 
fortunes,  led  the  settlers  to  emigrate.  Purely  geo- 
graphic considerations,  however,  must  have  de- 
termined their  choice  of  a  new  home.  This  is  a 
nice  distinction  but  one  that  may  very  fitly  be 
made.  It  is  also  safe  to  assert  that  they  would  not 
have  pushed  on  for  twenty-nine  miles  from  Owego 
so  arduously  without  good  reason.  While  in  the 
through  valley  of  Six  Mile  Creek  there  has  been 
developed  an  ample  acreage  of  cultivable  lands,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  primitively  this  section 
was  densely  forested  while  to  the  north  the  Indians 
had  cleared  large  areas.  But  it  was  probably  the 
wide  expanse  of  almost  perfectly  level  land  on  the 
delta-floodplain,  at  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake,  with 
its  area  of  fertile,  deep  and  well  drained  soil  on  its 
eastern  side,  in  view  of  the  rich  and  immediate 
agricutural  returns  these  acres  promised,  that  ex- 
ercised the  controlling  influence  in  the  choice  of  a 
site  for  settlement.  Visions  of  a  future  populous 
town  because  of  the  location  at  the  head  of  the 
lake  and  the  abundant  water-powers  adjacent  may 
also  have  had  a  bearing  on  the  decision. 

The  immediate  location  of  the  first  dwelling 


406  Concerning  Cornell 

places  was  guided  by  geographic  conditions.  Three 
large  streams,  Fall  Creek,  Cascadilla  and  Six  Mile 
Creeks  emerge  from  the  rock  gorges  that  terminate 
their  hanging,  upper  valleys  onto  the  lake-head 
plain  on  its  east  side;  no  stream  of  any  size  on  the 
west  side.  Because  of  the  abrupt  change  of  grade 
at  the  ends  of  their  gorges  these  three  streams  have 
built  coalescing  alluvial  fans  on  the  surface  of  the 
delta-floodplain,  making  the  land  higher  and  dryer 
on  its  eastern  side  and  pushing  the  Inlet  stream 
over  to  the  base  of  the  western  bluff.  Accordingly, 
as  an  early  writer  remarks,  the  exact  location  of  the 
first  cabin  was  determined  "by  the  transporting 
power  of  Cascadilla  Creek. "  At  this  point  an  In- 
dian clearing  existed  and  here,  too,  the  first  crops 
were  planted.  This  first  dwelling,  moreover,  was 
just  to  the  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  gorge  of  Cas- 
cadilla, in  which  there  were  considerable  waterfalls 
only  a  short  distance  up-stream.  The  immediate 
utility  of  such  water-powers  to  the  settlers  is  sug- 
gested by  the  fact  that  as  early  as  the  second  year 
a  flour  mill,  crude  to  be  sure,  but  capable  of  grind- 
ing twenty-five  bushels  of  grain  per  day  was  erected 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Cascadilla  gorge.  In  Six  Mile 
the  water-powers  were  farther  up-stream,  less  ac- 
cessible; the  immediate  mouth  of  Fall  Creek  seems 
to  have  been  very  swampy,  but  these  streams,  too, 
were  put  to  work  at  an  early  date.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  further  that  the  business  center  of  Ithaca 
has  grown  up  on  the  tract  of  land  between  the  Six 
Mile  and  Cascadilla  Creek  gorge-mouths  that  was 
first  settled. 


Geography  of  the  Region 


407 


The  young  settlement  early  acquired  the  name 
of  "Maricles  Flats"  or  ''The  Flats"  because  of  its 
environment.     Its  present  name,  Ithaca,  was  be- 


£    IN    DE  WITT    PARK 


stowed  on  it  in  about  1808  by  Simeon  DeWitt, 
who  in  1780  was  appointed  Chief  Geographer  of  the 
Army  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  1784  Surveyor  Gen- 
eral of  New  York  State.  While  "The  Flats"  was 
not  a  very  euphonious  appellation,  it  did  express 
a  geographic  relation,  hence  it  seems  unfortunate 
that  this  geographer,  at  least  by  one-time  title, 
who  later  resided  in  the  settlement,  should  not  have 
chosen  a  pleasing  geographic  name  rather  than 
Ithaca.    This  name  has,  however,  since  the  found- 


408  Concerning  Cornell 

ing  of  the  university,  a  degree  of  appropriateness 
he  could  not  have  foreseen.  While  DeWitt  him- 
self may  not  have  been  responsible  for  the  many 
other  classical  place  names  found  in  this  part  of  the 
state,  it  appears  that  this  example  of  his  served  as 
a  precedent. 

The  Jesuit  missionaries,  who  were  probably  the 
first  white  men  in  the  region,  undoubtedly  came 
by  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Great  Lakes  route 
from  the  east,  entered  the  northern  end  of  Lake 
Cayuga  and  followed  its  extension  southward  in 
their  explorations.  The  first  merchant  of  the  re- 
gion, an  itinerant  trader,  brought  a  small  boat  load 
of  goods  (tea,  coffee,  earthenware,  dry  goods,  hard- 
ware, gunpowder,  lead  and  liquor)  up  Cayuga  Lake 
and  exchanged  these  articles  at  Ithaca  for  fur  and 
maple  sugar.  The  very  first  settlers  came  by  way 
of  the  north  and  south  through- valley  of  Six  Mile 
Creek  from  Owego  on  the  Susquehanna  River  to  the 
site  of  Ithaca  at  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake.  These 
facts  suggest  the  early  importance  of  the  north- 
south  lines  of  travel  and  communication  in  the 
region.  It  should  be  mentioned,  however,  that  a 
considerable  number  of  the  early  pioneers  who 
settled  at  Ithaca  came  from  the  east  along  the 
course  of  Fall  Creek  and  that  it  was  along  this 
route  that  the  first  road  through  the  forest  was  cut, 
completed  in  1795,  connecting  Oxford  on  the  Che- 
nango River  with  Ithaca.  [Location  of  Towns  and 
Cities  of  Central  New  York.  Tarr,  R.  S.  Bull. 
Amer.  Geog.  Soc.  Vol.  XLII,  1910,  pp.  738-764. 

Contains  an  admirable  survey  of  this  topic  as 


Geography  of  the  Region  409 

affecting  the  broader  area  in  which  the  Ithaca 
Region  is  situated.] 

In  the  first  third  of  the  nineteenth  century 
water  routes  were  considered  all  important.  At  an 
early  date  nearly  every  stream  was  utilized  as  a 
highway  and  with  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  in 
1825  a  further  impetus  was  given  to  water  trans- 
portation. Railroads  were  then  considered  useful 
primarily  as  a  means  to  effect  portage  between  wa- 
ter routes.  From  central  New  York  the  Susque- 
hanna river  was  the  great  highway  to  the  east  until 
after  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal.  When  the 
Erie  Canal  was  completed,  and  opened  the  way  to 


THE    HOUSE    OF    MYSTERY 


the  west,  it  was  felt  that  a  north-south  route  con- 
necting the  canal  highway  to  the  west  with  the 
Susquehanna  River  route  to  the  east  would  be  of 
great  importance.  Ithaca,  because  of  its  geograph- 
ic position  at  the  lake-head  terminal  of  western 


410  Concerning  Cornell 

navigation,  on  the  shortest  overland  route  to  the 
Susquehanna,  seemed  destined  to  become  a  great 
commercial  center.  As  early  as  1810  Governor 
Clinton  wrote,  "The  situation  of  this  place  (Ithaca) 
at  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake,  and  a  short  distance 
from  the  descending  waters  to  the  Atlantic,  and 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  the  de- 
scending waters  to  the  Mississippi,  must  render  it 
a  place  of  great  importance. "  [Life  and  Writings 
of  DeWitt  Clinton,  (The),  W.  W.  Campbell,  N.  Y., 
1849] 

For  this  prediction,  and  similar  fond  anticipa- 
tions later,  there  was  in  those  times  ample  justi- 
fication ;  chiefly  because  the  Ithaca  region  was  then 
the  originating  point  of  a  considerable  bulk  of  ex- 
port traffic  that  utilized  the  routes  in  question. 
Between  1808  and  1811  a  turnpike  or  toll  road 
was  built  over  the  Six  Mile  valley  route.  During 
the  war  of  1812  the  supply  of  gypsum  from  Nova 
Scotia  was  cut  off  from  the  states  and  this  fertilizer 
material  was  secured  in  large  quantities  along  the 
east  shore  of  Cayuga  Lake  to  the  north  of  Ithaca. 
On  a  single  day  (between  1812-15)  it  is  recorded 
that  as  many  as  eight  hundred  teams  passed  over 
the  Ithaca  and  Owego  turnpike  engaged  in  hauling 
the  "plaister"  (land  plaster)  to  the  Susquehanna 
River  on  which  it  was  floated  to  the  south  and  east. 
This  commodity  continued  to  be  of  importance  in 
1825  and  the  traffic  in  it  is  urged  in  1862  as  a  rea- 
son for  building  a  ship  canal  from  the  foot  of  Lake 
Cayuga  to  Lake  Ontario.  Salt  was  another  min- 
eral product  shipped  in  quantity  from  Ithaca  at  an 


Geography  of  the  Region  411 

early  date,  eight  thousand  barrels  in  1825  and  two 
thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons  in  1832. 
["Facts  Relative  to  the  Trade  (etc.),  of  the  County 
of  Tompkins,"  N.  Y.  Pamphlet  printed  in  1832 
by  Mack  and  Andrus,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  p.  7.]  In  the 
latter  year  nearly  two  thousand  tons  of  lumber  and 
eight  thousand  seven  hundred  tons  of  wheat  and 
flour  were  sent  out  of  the  region.  At  that  time 
most  of  this  merchandise  was  being  sent  north  and 
east  through  Cayuga  Lake  and  the  Erie  Canal 
and  it  was  estimated  that  this  freight  paid  canal 
tolls  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  annually.  At  an  earlier  date  (1810) 
Governor  Clinton  describes  the  shipment  of  flour 
from  Ithaca  to  Baltimore,  Montreal  and  New  York. 
For  Baltimore  it  was  conveyed  overland  to  Owego 
where  "arks "  (barges)  could  be  had  for  seventy-five 
dollars.  On  these  the  flour  was  floated  down  the 
Susquehanna  river,  arriving  at  its  destination  in 
from  eight  to  twelve  days.  At  Baltimore  the  arks 
were  sold  for  half  price  as  "the  rapids  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna are  fatal  to  ascending  navigation. "  To 
Montreal  the  route  was  over  the  lake  and  the  St. 
Lawrence  River  to  the  Canadian  port.  Montreal 
was  considered  the  more  certain  market,  expense 
of  transportation  being  about  the  same  to  either 
Baltimore  or  Montreal.  Goods  were  also  shipped 
to  and  from  New  York  City  by  way  of  Cayuga 
Lake,  Seneca  and  Oneida  Rivers,  Oneida  Lake  and 
Wood  Creek,  by  canal  (completed  1797)  across  the 
divide  between  Wood  Creek  and  the  Mohawk  River 
at  Rome,  down  the  Mohawk  (canal  around  Little 


412  Concerning  Cornell 

Falls  completed  1794)  to  Schenectady  and  from 
thence  overland  to  the  Hudson  at  Albany.  It  re- 
quired six  weeks  to  make  the  round  trip  from 
Ithaca  to  Schenectady  with  a  boat  carrying  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of 
flour.  The  boats  used  were  small  and  were  propel- 
led for  the  greater  part  of  the  way  by  poles. 

In  view  of  the  slowness  of  such  transportation, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  advent  of  the  steam- 
boat brought  a  decided  stimulus  to  the  lake  traf- 
fic and  seemed  to  emphasize  further  the  coming 
importance  of  Ithaca  as  a  terminal  point  on  the 
shortest  route  from  the  east  to  the  west.  Passenger 
business,  particularly,  was  affected.  Thus,  in  The 
Ithaca  Journal  of  June  7,  1820,  it  was  stated  that 
passengers  from  New  York  City  for  Buffalo  could 
leave  the  former  city  at  five  p.  m.,  go  by  boat  to 
Newburgh,  there  take  stage,  and  arrive  at  Ithaca 
on  the  evening  of  the  second  day.  Embarking  on 
the  "Enterprise"  (the  Cayuga  steamer)  that  even- 
ing, they  would  be  landed  at  the  foot  of  the  lake 
next  morning,  and,  resuming  the  stage,  arrive  at 
Buffalo  that  night,  making  the  whole  journey  in 
three  days,  one  day  less  than  by  way  of  Albany. 
By  1837  there  were  three  steamboats  and  from 
seventy  to  one  hundred  canal-boats  in  service  on 
Cayuga  Lake.  The  latter  were  in  large  part  en- 
gaged in  conveying  coal  from  Ithaca  to  the  Erie 
Canal  and  this  coal  traffic  was  a  very  important 
factor  in  the  apparent  destiny  of  Ithaca  as  a  great 
commercial  center. 

In  about  1825  the  importance  of  the  coal  de- 


Geography  of  the  Region  413 

posits  (principally  anthracite)  in  the  Pennsylvania 
district,  directly  to  the  south  of  Ithaca,  began  to 
be  recognized.  Iron  ores,  also,  had  been  discovered 
and  the  huge  traffic  that  promised  to  develop  in 
these  commodities  gave  a  further  incentive  to  the 
project  of  connecting  the  Erie  Canal  with  the  Sus- 
quehanna highway  by  some  more  adequate  means 
of  transportation  than  by  wagon.  It  was  pro- 
posed that  the  state  should  aid  in  the  building  of 
a  canal  over  the  divide  between  the  lake  head  and 
river  navigation  and  the  Ithacans  urged  that  this 
canal  should  follow  one  or  the  other  of  the  two 
valleys  leading  south  from  their  town  as  these 
were  the  shorter  routes.  ["Considerations  of  the 
Claims  of  the  Southern  Tier  of  Counties."  "Ad- 
dressed to  the  Representatives  of  an  Intelligent 
Public. "  Pamphlet,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  1825.]  There 
were,  however,  rival  claimants  for  the  route  from 
the  head  of  Seneca  Lake,  and  it  was  in  this  valley 
that  the  north-south  canal  was  dug,  the  Chemung 
Canal  connecting  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake  with  the 
Chemung  River  at  Elmira,  completed  1833. 

There  were  good  geographic  reasons  for  select- 
ing the  Seneca-Chemung  route  as  will  appear  later. 
Meanwhile  the  Ithacans  and  Owegans,  undeterred 
by  their  failure  to  secure  the  canal,  and  retaining 
faith  in  the  geographic  advantage  of  their  shorter 
route,  organized  a  company  and  with  private  capi- 
tal built  a  horse-power  railroad  through  the  Six 
Mile  valley.  While  the  Six  Mile  valley  route  is  at 
least  ten  miles  shorter  than  the  Seneca-Chemung 
route  to  the  Susquehanna,  the  geographic  handicap 


414  Concerning  Cornell 

of  the  Six  Mile  route,  that  more  than  offset  the 
advantage  of  less  distance,  became  plainly  manifest 
when  the  railroad  was  built.  As  the  mouth  of  the 
valley  is  hanging  above  the  Ithaca  level  (due  to 
differential  glacial  erosion  as  detailed  in  an  earlier 
paragraph)  it  was  necessary  to  convey  the  cars 
down  the  steep  slope  from  the  hanging  valley  lip 
on  an  incline.  The  trains  were  hoisted  and  lowered 
by  a  system  of  pulleys  and  ropes,  operated  at  first 
by  horse-power  and  later  by  a  stationary  steam 
engine,  through  a  vertical  distance  of  four  hundred 
and  five  feet  within  a  horizontal  distance  of  only 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet. 
The  grade  of  this  incline  can  still  be  seen  on  the 
nose  of  South  Hill.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  same  cumbersome  device  was  also  employed 
on  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad,  the  earliest 
portion  (1831)  of  the  present  New  York  Central 
system,  to  raise  trains  from  Albany  into  the  Mo- 
hawk valley.  But,  while  the  grade  at  Albany  was 
readily  overcome  later,  the  modern  railroad  line 
(Owego  Branch,  D.,  L.  &  W.  R.  R.)  that  has  suc- 
ceeded the  original  Six  Mile  valle}'  enterprise  is 
at  present  able  to  descend  to  the  Ithaca  level  only 
by  a  series  of  switchback  spurs.  Another  road 
(E.,  C.  &  N.  R.  R.)  built  later  in  the  same  valley, 
does  not  even  attempt  to  make  the  descent  but 
discharges  Ithaca  freight  and  passengers  at  East 
Ithaca,  a  station  on  the  level  of  the  hanging  valley 

up. 

The  glacial  through-valley  south  of  Seneca  Lake 
is  not  hanging,  furthermore,  its  bottom  is  aggrad- 


Geography  of  the  Reqion  415 

ed  with  morainic  and  out-wash  material  through- 
out its  length.  Hence,  the  cutting  of  the  Che- 
mung Canal  through  it  was  a  comparatively  easy 
task.  The  Chemung  Canal  had,  too,  the  advan- 
tage of  an  adequate  feeder  in  the  Chemung  River 
whose  flow  was  in  part  diverted  for  the  lockage 
down  to  the  level  of  Seneca  Lake.  Then  the  divide 
at  Horseheads  is  only  nine  hundred  feet  high  and 
the  level  of  Seneca  Lake  four  hundred  and  forty- 
four  feet,  while  the  divide  in  the  Six  Mile  valley 
has  an  altitude  of  nine  hundred  and  eighty  feet  and 
the  Cayuga  Lake  level  is  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  feet.  The  Seneca-Chemung  route  has,  there- 
fore, a  lower  divide  and  the  rise  from  the  lake  level 
is  much  less.  A  canal  in  the  Six  Mile  valley  would 
have  been  a  practical,  if  not  a  physical,  impossibil- 
ity. The  horse-power  railroad  with  the  system  of 
inclined  planes  was  not  an  absolute  failure,  but  it 
was  not  a  real  success,  and  within  a  few  years  the 
company  went  into  bankruptcy. 

'When  the  citizens  of  Ithaca,  Owego  and  Athens, 
in  1825,  petitioned  the  legislatures  of  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania  for  state  support  for  a  canal  to 
connect  Ithaca  with  the  Susquehanna,  they  pro- 
posed either  the  Six  Mile  route  or  a  route  through 
the  Cayuga  Inlet  valley  as  preferable  to  the  Seneca 
route.  The  Cayuga  Inlet  valley,  like  the  valley 
south  of  Seneca  Lake,  is  not  hanging  and  its  bot- 
tom is  also  aggraded  throughout  with  glacial  depos- 
its. But  the  divide  is  at  one  thousand  and  forty 
feet,  the  distance  from  Ithaca  to  the  Susquehanna 
at  Athens  greater  than  from  Watkins  to  Elmira  by 


416  Concerning  Cornell 

thirteen  miles,  and  there  is  no  large  feeder  available 
at  the  high  level.  Hence,  the  Seneca-Chemung 
route  was  chosen  for  the  canal,  but  the  Cayuga 
Inlet  valley  was  made,  later,  the  route  of  the 
Lehigh  railroad,  the  only  through  line  entering 
Ithaca.  The  passenger  business  of  this  road,  be- 
tween New  York  City  and  Buffalo,  is  now  sent 
through  Ithaca  but  the  freight  business  is  largely 
routed  over  the  other  loop  of  the  road  that  parallels 
Seneca  Lake.  The  reason  for  this  discrimination 
is  that  leaving  Ithaca,  in  either  direction,  involves 
a  climb  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  or  more, 
while  between  similar  points  on  the  Seneca  Valley 
route  the  grades  are  only  a  little  over  one  hundred 
feet.  The  railroad  does  not,  however,  descend  to 
the  level  of  Seneca  Lake  at  its  head,  but  like  the 
E.,  C.  &  N.  railroad  in  the  Six  Mile  valley,  dis- 
charges freight  and  passengers  for  Watkins  on  a 
hillside  station  above  the  Seneca  lake-head  town. 
The  climb  out  of  Ithaca  to  the  north  might  have 
been  almost  entirely  eliminated  by  following  along 
the  west  shore  of  Cayuga  Lake,  but  the  road 
across  the  interlake  country  had  been  built  before 
its  incorporation  into  the  Lehigh  system,  it  already 
served  a  fertile  farming  country,  it  connected  the 
towns  built  at  the  heads  of  the  gorges  and  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  level  route  would  have  been  more 
or  less  offset  by  the  necessity  of  winding  around  the 
minor  indentations  of  the  shore.  The  branch  Le- 
high road  built  along  the  east  shore  of  the  lake 
suffers  from  the  latter  defect. 

Another  transportation  project,  by  which  the 


Geography  of  the  Region  417 

Ithacans  hoped  to  make  their  city  a  terminal  point, 
was  a  direct  ship  canal  to  Lake  Ontario,  in  order 
to  get  in  touch  with  the  western  commerce  and  the 
Montreal  market.  Here  they  came  into  rivalry 
with  the  Oswegans  whose  route  was  shorter  and 
better  supplied  with  water.  The  Ithaca  project, 
however,  seemed  likely  of  realization  in  1829-35 
and  led  to  a  fever  of  real  estate  speculation  in  the 
community  which  abruptly  collapsed  in  the  nation- 
al panic  of  1837.  When  first  agitated,  this  canal 
was  to  be  used  in  conjunction  with  the  horse-power 
Six  Mile  valley  railroad.  In  1862  the  project  was 
revived  with  the  idea  that  the  water-powers  from 
the  hanging  valleys  could  be  used  to  grind  western 
wheat  and  that  Lake  Superior  copper  ores  could  be 
smelted  at  Ithaca  with  anthracite  coal  brought 
over  the  Six  Mile  valley  railroad  from  the  Pennsyl- 
vania fields  to  the  south.  But  coke  from  bitum- 
inous coal  shortly  supplanted  the  use  of  the  costly 
anthracite  for  smelting  and  the  wheat  country 
moved  still  farther  westward. 

The  Inlet  harbor  of  Ithaca  has  been  improved 
and  made  one  of  the  southern  terminals  of  the  new 
Erie  barge  canal.  It  may  be  that  this  will  give 
some  impetus  to  water  commerce  on  Cayuga  Lake, 
centering  at  Ithaca,  but  it  can  not  well  do  much. 
In  the  early  days,  when  the  Ithacans  first  antici- 
pated great  growth,  their  expectations  were  built 
primarily  on  the  basis  of  the  export  tonnage  of 
lumber,  plaster,  flour,  wheat  and  salt  originating 
in  the  territory.  They  also  hoped  to  become  the 
outlet  for  the  Susquehanna  country.    The  lumber 


418  Concerning  Cornell 

is  gone,  the  plaster  no  longer  in  demand,  as  a  great 
wheat  raising  section  the  region  can  not  begin  to 
compete  successfully  with  the  western  lands,  and 
salt  is  about  the  only  one  of  the  early  bulk  products 
still  produced  in  quantity.  The  railroads  have  ab- 
sorbed the  Pennsylvania  coal  traffic  and  carry  it 
over  other  routes.  The  Hudson-Mohawk  gateway 
enabled  New  York  City  to  surpass  Baltimore  and 
Philadelphia  as  seaports,  hence  the  difficult  grades 
of  the  more  direct,  cross-plateau  routes  make  them 
of  importance  only  in  the  coal  carrying  trade,  and 
this  does  not  affect  Ithaca  except  in  the  matter  of 
local  consumption.  If  Ithaca  ever  becomes  a  com- 
mercial and  shipping  center  of  importance,  it  must 
be  on  the  basis  of  development  of  resources  within 
the  immediate  region.  As  these  seem  totally  in- 
adequate to  bring  about  such  a  result,  Ithaca  can 
not  hope  to  become,  as  it  did  once,  "the  great 
central  city  of  New  York  State. " 

A  number  of  geographic  factors  affect  the  agri- 
cultural conditions  in  the  region,  especially  with 
reference  to  the  kind  of  crops  that  have  and  can 
now  be  produced  profitably.  The  origin  of  the 
soils,  the  topography  of  the  region  and  its  climate 
must  all  be  taken  into  account. 

The  soils  are,  for  the  most  part,  of  glacial  origin, 
rock  material  fined  by  glacial  grinding,  but  much  of 
it  has  been  reassorted  and  redeposited  by  water 
action.  The  uplands,  above  the  level  of  one  thou- 
sand feet,  are  quite  uniformly  covered  with  glacial 
till.  As  the  bed-rock  is  mostly  shale  and  sandstone, 
the  former  predominating,  the  till  material  con- 


Geography  of  the  Region  419 

sists  of  commingled  shale  fragments  of  small  size 
with  clayey  and  sandy,  fine  particles  making  up 
the  bulk  of  the  mass.  The  substratum  is  often 
very  dense  and  hard,  the  soil  itself  is  usually  thin, 
deficient  in  lime  content  and  poorly  drained.  The 
shallowness  is  due  to  the  comparatively  light  load 
of  material  transported  by  the  ice  in  the  thinner 
masses  that  moved  over  the  uplands  and  their 
rapid  melting  off;  the  low  lime  content  to  the  shaly 
bedrock  from  which  it  was  derived  and  the  poor 
drainage  to  the  compaction  of  the  material  by  the 
weight  of  the  ice  and  to  the  fact  that  its  clayey 
nature  lends  itself  to  puddling.  These  soils  are  the 
famous  Volusia  series,  the  worn-out  condition  of 
which  has  been  held  in  part  responsible  for  the  de- 
cline of  farming  in  central  New  York.  The  upland 
country  to  the  south  of  Ithaca  has,  in  fact,  been 
described  as  an  abandoned  farm  district. 

The  characterization  as  an  abandoned  farm 
district  rests  on  the  evidence  of  decrease  in  rural 
population  and  the  number  of  unoccupied  houses. 
For  these  facts  the  nature  and  condition  of  the  soils 
are  not  wholly  responsible.  There  are  no  aban- 
doned farms  in  the  sense  of  abandonment  of  title. 
The  decrease  in  population  and  the  resultant  va- 
cant houses  are  primarily  the  result  of  the  intro- 
duction of  machinery  in  farm  operations,  and  it 
has  been  shown  by  a  detailed  survey  [An  Agricul- 
tural Survey  of  (part  of)  Tompkins  County,  New 
York.  Warren,  G.  F.  and  Livermore,  K.  C.  Cor- 
nell University  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Bulletin  295,  March,  1911.]  that  the  larger  farms 


420  Concerning  Cornell 

that  have  come  from  this  change  in  methods  are 
uniformly  more  profitable  than  small  units.  The 
region  was  settled  in  the  days  of  the  scythe  and 
grain  cradle.  Hill  slopes,  too  steep  for  modern 
cultivation,  were  then  cleared  and  farmed.  These 
now  are  waste  land  or  used  only  for  pasture.  As 
noted  in  an  earlier  paragraph,  they  should  be  re- 
turned to  forest  before  the  soil  is  all  washed  down. 
In  the  days  of  early  settlement,  much  of  this 
land,  as  well  as  that  at  lower  levels,  was  planted 
to  wheat,  as  is  evident  from  the  export  figures 
quoted.  Now  only  five  per  cent  of  the  total 
acreage  in  the  townships  surveyed  in  detail  is 
devoted  to  this  crop.  Probably  the  depletion  of 
the  organic  matter  originally  present  in  the  soil, 
due  to  continuous  cropping,  is  in  part  responsible 
for  the  decrease.  Another  reason  for  the  decline 
of  the  wheat  crop  was  the  appearance  of  insect 
enemies.  But  what  wheat  is  now  raised  gives  a 
better  yield  per  acre  than  the  average  for  the 
wheat-growing  states  of  the  west.  Hay  is,  how- 
ever, now  the  universal  crop,  covers  fifty-six  per 
cent  of  the  acreage,  buckwheat  eight  per  cent  and 
potatoes  three  per  cent.  Topography  and  climate 
conditions  are  also,  in  part,  responsible  for  the 
decline  in  farming  on  the  uplands.  With  the  ad- 
vent of  railroads,  shipping  points  were  almost  all 
concentrated  in  the  north  and  south  through-valleys 
the  levels  of  which  are  from  Hve  hundred  to  one 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  below  the  hill  farms. 
The  glacial  over-deepening  of  the  valley  troughs 
made  very  steep  slopes;  hence  all  the  descent  is 


Geography  of  the  Region  421 

accomplished  in  a  very  short  distance.  Roads, 
moreover,  were  laid  out  at  an  early  date  without 
reference  to  the  valley  stations,  therefore  often 
lead  straight  up  hill  for  from  four  hundred  to  eight 
hundred  feet  just  beyond  the  railroad.  Because  of 
such  grades,  bulk  crops,  potatoes  for  example,  to 
which  the  soil  is  adapted,  can  not  be  very  profitably 
produced.  This  topographic  difficulty  must  also 
be  contended  with  in  hauling  market  milk.  Cli- 
matic limitations  are  imposed  by  the  shortness  of 
the  season  and  the  coolness  of  summer,  which 
makes  the  growing  of  corn  for  grain  uncertain. 
The  normal  climatic  sequence  for  the  region,  a 
wet  spring,  followed  by  a  dry  summer,  is  a  par- 
ticularly unhappy  combination  for  the  thin  clayey 
upland  soils.  They  are  boggy  and  cold  in  spring- 
planting  time,  ploughing  tends  to  puddle  them 
and  then  in  the  summer  droughts  they  dry  out  and 
bake,  partly  because  they  are  thin  and  partly  be- 
cause the  puddled  condition  prevents  the  vertical 
rise  of  water. 

In  addition  to  the  handicap  of  the  hills  in  haul- 
ing milk  to  market,  there  is  a  further  disadvantage 
in  that  the  average  farm  is  over  three  miles  from 
the  valley  station.  How  important  a  factor  dis- 
tance is  may  be  appreciated  when  it  is  stated  that 
a  farmer  within  three  miles  of  a  market  can  make 
a  labor  income  four  times  as  large  as  that  of  the 
farmer  seven  miles  or  more  away.  Despite  these 
difficulties,  a  large  proportion  of  the  farm  incomes 
are  derived  from  cattle  production;  forty  per  cent 
of  the  total  farm  receipts,  of  which  thirty-three  per 


422  Concerning  Cornell 

cent  is  from  milk  and  butter  and  seven  per  cent 
from  stock  sold.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  a 
combination  of  milk  and  crops  for  sale  pays  better 
than  the  exclusive  production  of  either  the  one  or 
other,  because  labor  can  be  kept  more  continuously 
employed.  From  the  geographer's  point  of  view, 
it  would  seem  that  sheep  could  be  profitably  pro- 
duced on  the  steep  slopes.  But  the  land  values  are 
apparently  too  high  for  successful  sheep  raising. 

In  the  valley  bottoms  and  on  the  slopes  of  the 
north-south  valleys,  below  the  thousand  foot  level, 
as  well  as  over  the  plain  to  the  north  of  the  Portage 
escarpment,  a  wide  diversity  of  soils  exists.  These 
have  essentially  the  same  bed-rock  origin  as  the 
upland  soils  but 
consist  of  mingled, 
morainic  accumu- 
lations, glacial  out- 
wash  gravels  and 
sands  and  clay,  and 
delta  deposits  of 
sand  and  gravel 
made  on  the  bot- 
toms of  the  pro- 
glacial  lakes.  In 
contrast  with  the 
hill  soils,  these  soils 
are  usually  deep, 
for  the  wash  of  ma- 
terial from  over  and 
under  the  melting, 
glacial  front  tended  city  hall,  ithaca 


Geography  of  the  Region  423 

to  concentrate  the  deposit  of  its  morainic  load 
around  the  margins  of  the  projecting  valley  lobes. 
Because  of  this  greater  thickness,  the  valley  soils 
are  free  from  the  poor  drainage  conditions  and 
drying  out  exhibited  by  the  thin,  upland  soils. 
The  partial  or  complete  water  assortment  of  the 
material  has  resulted  in  better  textural  conditions 
and  their  diversity  permits  of  a  wider  variety  of 
crops.  Thus,  apple  orchards  and  vegetable  gardens 
succeed  on  the  well  drained,  lighter  soils.  On  the 
whole,  however,  the  crops  are  much  the  same  as  on 
the  uplands  but  with  better  yields  and  greater 
profit  to  the  farmer.  Only  one  or  two  crops  de- 
serve special  notice. 

Grapes  are  produced,  to  a  limited  extent,  on 
the  east-facing  slopes  just  above  the  level  of  Cay- 
uga Lake.  The  soil  conditions  are  essentially  the 
same  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  but  there  few 
or  no  vineyards  are  found.  This  seems  to  be  a 
response  to  more  genial  climatic  conditions  on  the 
west  side,  and  is  especially  interesting  in  connec- 
tion with  the  statistics  of  an  excess  of  morning  sun 
in  April,  given  in  an  earlier  paragraph.  The  dry 
alluvial  farms  that  were  cultivated  by  the  first 
settlers  on  "The  Flats"  and  planted  to  corn  and 
potatoes  are  now  almost  wholly  occupied  by  the 
city  of  Ithaca.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Inlet,  near 
the  edge  of  the  delta,  a  part  of  the  originally 
swampy  land  has  been  filled  in  with  dredged  ma- 
terial secured  in  enlarging  the  stream  to  barge 
canal  depth  and  width.  This  filled  land  has  been 
planted  in  large  part  to  peach  orchard.    This  is 


424  Concerning  Cornell 

an  interesting  experiment,  as  peaches  often  fail 
in  the  region  on  account  of  frosts.  In  such  close 
proximity  to  the  lake  the  equalizing  influence  of 
the  waters  may  be  sufficient  to  make  the  crop  rea- 
sonably certain. 

The  early  industries  of  the  region  were  nearly 
all  founded  on  the  water-powers  furnished  by  Fall, 
Cascadilla  and  Six  Mile  Creeks  in  plunging  through 
the  post-glacial  gorges  to  the  lake  level  from  their 
hanging  valley  lips.  In  the  aggregate  the  volume 
of  these  powers  is  considerable.  Fall  and  Casca- 
dilla Creeks  descend  some  four  hundred  feet  within 
a  distance  of  one-half  mile.  Because  of  the  early 
development  of  these  powers  and  the  parcelling  out 
of  the  rights  to  numerous  individuals  it  has,  how- 
ever, to  date  been  impossible  to  utilize  the  full  head 
provided  by  the  abrupt  descent  of  these  streams. 
With  a  single  hydro-electric  power  plant  and  dis- 
tributing station  located  at  the  foot  of  the  gorge  of 
Fall  Creek,  supplied  by  the  full  volume  of  the  stream, 
a  much  greater  amount  of  power  could  be  secured 
than  is  now  or  has  been.  The  same  thing  can  be 
said  of  Cascadilla.  But  even  in  this  event  at  least 
two  separate  power  plants  would  be  required.  In 
other  words  it  is  a  geographic  disadvantage  that 
the  drainage  of  the  comparatively  small  area  that 
centers  at  Ithaca  should  be  divided  among  three 
streams.  The  disadvantage  does  not  stop  at  the 
power  plants.  To  utilize  the  fall  effectively  a  large 
reservoir  is  needed  in  the  upper  valley  of  each 
stream,  particularly  now  that  the  forest  has  been 
removed  and  their  volume  fluctuates  from  floods 


Geography  of  the  Region 


425 


in  spring  and  fall  to  mere  threads  of  water  in  sum- 
mer. The  sites  for  such  reservoirs  are,  however, 
available  and  steps  are  now  being  taken  to  develop 
the  Fall  Creek  power  in  an  adequate  way. 

Even  with  such  development  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  available  power  from  these  streams 
would  be  sufficient  to  supply  a  considerable  indus- 
trial center  as  was  anticipated  in  1835,  when,  dur- 
ing the  period  of  speculation  that  preceded  the 
contemplated  construction  of  a  ship  canal  from  the 
foot  of  Cayuga  Lake  to  Lake  Ontario,  the  sum  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  paid 
for  only  a  portion  ("sundry  water-powers")  of  the 
Fall  Creek  power  rights.  On  the  scale  that  man- 
ufacturing enterprises  were  then  conducted  this 
price  might  possibly  have  proved  a  profitable  in- 
vestment if  raw  materials  for  conversion  into  fin- 
ished products  had 
flowed  into  Ithaca 
from  the  outside  as 
was  anticipated. 

The  dependence 
of  the  early  mills 
and  factories  on  the 
water-powers  is  in- 
dicated very  clear- 
ly by  the  way  they 
were  all  scattered 
along  the  stream  courses.  Their  nature  indicates 
that  they  were  also  dependent  on  local  supplies 
of  raw  material  to  a  very  large  extent.  Grist  mills 
came  first,  then  plaster  mills;  chair,  sash  and  door 


AN   HISTORIC   HOUSE,   ITHACA 


426  Concerning  Cornell 

factories  using  the  local  lumber  supply,  also  saw 
mills;  boat  yards,  building  canal-boats;  a  distillery 
(local  corn)  tanneries,  probably  dependent  at  first 
on  the  nearby  supply  of  hides  but  later  utilizing 
only  the  regional  resources  of  bark,  oak  and  hem- 
lock; oil  mills  (local  flax  seed?)  and  a  paper-mill 
probably  dependent  on  local  supplies  of  rags.  At 
early  dates,  however,  there  were  numerous  textile 
enterprises,  woolen  carding  and  fulling  mills,  cotton 
factories  and  silk  mills  which  must  have  received 
their  supplies  of  raw  material  from  other  regions 
and  depended  for  success  on  the  utilization  of  the 
local  water-powers  or  cheap  labor.  A  foundry  and 
furnace  for  iron  smelting  was  established  in  1822, 
by  1834  there  were  three  such  enterprises  in  Ithaca. 

It  is  significant  that  but  few  of  these  industries 
have  survived.  Those  which  were  justified  geo- 
graphically in  that  they  were  founded  on  the  supply 
of  local  raw  materials  and  local  demand  were  emi- 
nently prosperous  in  their  day.  The  others,  in 
almost  every  instance,  had  ill-starred  and  short 
careers. 

The  output  of  the  local  factories  today  consists 
of  very  specialized  products  of  high  value  as  com- 
pared to  their  bulk,  are  furthermore  largely  the 
creations  of  local  inventive  talent  and  mechanical 
skill.  This  is  quite  fitting  in  view  of  the  modern 
topographic  remoteness  of  Ithaca  from  centers  of 
population,  routes  of  commerce  and  supplies  of 
bulk  raw  materials.  A  factory  making  a  chain 
drive  for  automobiles,  a  shot  gun  works,  a  toy- 
organ  company,  a  paper-mill  specializing  in  waxed 


Geography  of  the  Region  427 

papers,  an  advertising  sign  plant  and  an  aeroplane 
company  are  now  the  important  industries  of  the 
place.  The  last  mentioned  concern  was  attracted 
to  Ithaca,  on  their  own  statement,  by  the  geo- 
graphic advantages  of  the  site;  in  that  the  level, 
unoccupied  lands  of  the  delta  flat  and  the  open 
expanse  of  the  lake,  gave  opportunities  for  starting 
and  alighting  safely  and  in  trying  out  hydroplanes. 
Very  recently,  too,  motion  picture  companies  have 
established  a  studio  on  the  lake  shore.  These  enter- 
prises utilize  to  the  fullest  possible  extent  the  mani- 
fold scenic  attractions  of  the  Ithaca  region  and 
have  probably  done  more  than  any  other  agency 
to  bring  Ithacans  to  a  realization  of  the  natural 
beauty  of  their  locality. 

Two  industries  making  bulk  products  still  exist. 
These  avail  themselves  of  abundant  supplies  of 
local  raw  material,  of  the  facilities  for  cheap  water 
transportation  (which  will  be  much  enhanced  by 
the  barge  canal)  and  of  the  exceptionally  favorable 
conditions  of  location  for  the  manufacture  of  their 
respective  materials  that  the  region  affords.  They 
are  the  salt  plants  and  the  cement  plant  situated 
on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  near  Ithaca. 

In  earlier  years  salt  was  made  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  state  by  evaporating  the  brine  flowing 
from  natural  springs.  Now  double  tube  wells  are 
sunk  at  Ithaca  almost  two  thousand  feet  to  the 
salt  beds  themselves  which  aggregate  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  thickness.  Water  sent  down  one  tube 
issues  from  the  other  as  a  saturated  salt  solution, 
and  is  conveyed  to  settling  tanks  on  the  steep  hill- 


428  Concerning  Cornell 

slope.  After  precipitation  of  gypsum  and  other 
impurities  the  concentrated  brine  is  evaporated 
with  artificial  heat,  the  salt  dried  centrifugally  and 
accumulated  on  the  floor  of  a  storehouse  at  lake 
level,  whence  it  is  readily  shipped  either  by  water 
or  on  the  railway  that  parallels  the  shore  line. 
During  the  year  1917  a  mine  shaft  was  sunk  to 
the  salt  beds  and  it  may  be  possible  in  the  future 
to  produce  coarse  rock  salt  at  a  point  a  few  miles 
down  the  lake  from  Ithaca.  This  will  provide  a 
further  large  quantity  of  bulk  material  for  ship- 
ment by  water  over  the  lake  and  barge  canal  to 
centers  of  population  east  and  west. 

The  cement  plant  is  a  conspicuous  example  of 
the  positive  influence  of  a  combination  of  favoring 
geographic  factors  in  conducing  to  the  prosperity 
of  a  particular  enterprise,  otherwise  handicapped. 
The  margin  of  profit  in  the  cement  industry  is 
relatively  small,  the  capitalization  required  per  ton 
of  actual  product  is  the  same  as  that  in  the  pig  iron 
industry,  but  the  finished  iron  product  has  a  value 
from  three  to  four  times  greater  than  that  of  the 
same  amount  of  cement.  [Eckel,  E.  C,  A  Com- 
parison of  the  Iron  and  Cement  Industries,  Cement 
Age,  March,  1911,  pp.  139-143;  also  The  Cement 
and  Iron  Industries,  a  Comparative  Study,  Eng. 
Mag.  March,  1911,  pp.  854-867.]  The  tremendous 
modern  use  of  cement  has  made  possible  large  scale 
production  in  plants  of  maximum  industrial  effi- 
ciency. The  Cayuga  plant  is  comparatively  dis- 
tant from  the  large  centers  of  consumption  but 
has  other  advantages  that  outweigh  this  handicap. 


Geography  of  the  Region  429 

Its  supply  of  raw  material  is  furnished  by  the 
Tully  limestone  and  the  Hamilton  shale  which 
underlies  the  limestone.  At  the  exact  site  of  the 
plant  the  rocks  have  been  folded  into  a  low  arch 
which  has  resisted  erosion  because  of  the  durable 
limestone  formation  that  caps  it.  The  glacial  ero- 
sion of  the  north-south,  Cayuga  Lake  trough  has 
created  a  steep  slope  from  the  lake  shore  to  the 
crest  of  the  arch,  which  is  just  behind  the  mill  at 
an  altitude  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  feet 
above  the  lake  level.  Glacial  erosion  has  removed 
practically  all  the  weathered  rock  material,  and  the 
practically  complete  absence  of  residual  clay,  in 
joint  and  bedding-planes,  renders  unnecessary  the 
washing  operation  to  remove  such  substance  that 
must  be  adopted  in  some  cement  quarries  of  the 
United  States  that  are  located  outside  the  zone  of 
notable  glacial  erosion.  The  limestone  is  eighteen 
feet  thick  at  the  quarry,  thus  of  ample  bulk  for 
large  scale  production.  As  much  larger  quantities 
of  limestone  are  needed  than  of  the  Hamilton  shale 
at  its  base  (into  which  it  passes  abruptly)  it  is  of 
considerable  significance  that  the  shale  is  below, 
for,  if  it  were  above,  the  cost  of  its  removal  or  tim- 
bering would  make  the  enterprise  much  less  profit- 
able. The  steep  slope  and  the  amount  of  elevation 
above  lake  level  make  possible  the  use  of  an  aerial 
tramway  to  carry  the  rock  directly  from  the  quarry 
face  to  the  upper  story  of  the  mill,  for  grinding, 
without  expenditure  of  power. 

This  series  of  geographic  advantages  have  made 
possible  the  profitable  operation  of  a  small  cement 


430  Concerning  Cornell 

mill  in  competition  with  much  larger  plants  less 
favorably  situated,  but  possessing  more  up-to-date 
equipment.  The  geographic  disadvantage  of  being 
comparatively  remote  from  centers  of  consump- 
tion, Buffalo  on  the  west  and  New  York  on  the 
east,  is  offset  in  large  part  by  the  availability  of  a 
water  transportation  route  to  those  points.  With- 
out these  geographic  advantages  the  plant  could 
not  have  survived,  possessing  them  it  has  attracted 
the  attention  of  a  large  corporation  which  proposes 
to  develop  it  from  a  local  enterprise  to  an  industry 
of  state  wide  importance. 

The  dominating  factor  in  the  development  of 
modern  Ithaca  as  a  residential  center  has  been  the 
selection  of  the  place  as  the  site  of  Cornell  Univer- 
sity. The  founder,  Ezra  Cornell,  was  indifferent 
to  the  honor  of  having  his  name  attached  to  the 
institution  but  was  insistent  on  the  site  at  Ithaca 
in  preference  to  Syracuse  where  it  was  urged  that 
the  university  should  be  located.  In  this  he  was 
amply  justified  if  beauty  and  natural  interest  of 
situation  count  for  anything  in  the  placing  of  an 
institution  of  learning. 

The  campus  occupies  the  interstream  plateau 
between  Fall  Creek  and  Cascadilla  Creek.  This  is 
of  ample  dimensions  to  accommodate  the  univer- 
sity buildings  and  grounds  and  to  provide  also  on 
the  east  the  farm  acreage  necessary  for  the  Agri- 
cultural College  experimental  plantings.  It  is  a 
rather  adventitious  geographic  advantage  that  this 
limited  area  of  farm  land  should  have  very  diversi- 
fied soils,  till,  moraine,  glacial  lake  sands,  silt  and 


Geography  of  the  Region  431 

clay  and  delta  material,  giving  opportunity  for 
tests  under  a  variety  of  soil  conditions.  The  flat 
tops  of  the  delta  terraces  that  flank  each  of  the 
boundary  creeks  have  also  provided  admirable 
sites  for  a  number  of  the  buildings. 

The  west  edge  of  the  quadrangle  is  just  above 
the  over-steepened  slope  of  the  glacially-eroded 
Cayuga  Lake  valley,  hence  commands  a  view  of 
the  country  for  miles  around.  To  the  north  one 
looks  over  a  long  expanse  of  lake;  to  the  west  down 
on  the  city  in  the  valley  below,  and  across  it  on  a 
wide  extent  of  field  and  woodland-chequered  hill- 
side. On  the  southeast  the  prospect  is  even  more 
distant  and  extends  far  into  the  bold  and  rugged 
topography  of  the  uplands.  It  is  commonly  felt 
that  no  inconsiderable  fraction  of  the  institution's 
cultural  and  educational  influence  is  owing  to  its 
aesthetic  surroundings,  and  the  site  is  considered 
by  many  to  be  the  most  attractive  of  all  the  seats 
of  higher  learning  in  America.  To  this  scenic  at- 
tractiveness must  also  be  added  the  unique  op- 
portunities for  natural  history  studies,  including 
geography,  that  the  complicated  physiographic 
development  of  the  region  affords,  and  which  en- 
tails the  existence  of  extremely  varied  habitats  for 
both  flora  and  fauna,  making  it,  in  consequence, 
a  very  exceptionally  rich  and  compact  collecting 
ground  for  the  botanist  and  zoologist;  as  was 
early  remarked  by  the  celebrated  naturalist,  Louis 
Agassiz. 

Itself  admirably  situated,  the  university,  as 
stated  before,  is  responsible  also  for  the  modern 


432  Concerning  Cornell 

growth  of  Ithaca  as  a  residential  center.  This 
dates  from  about  the  time  when  the  city's  dreams 
of  future  commercial  greatness  had  been  finally 
dissipated.  Since  then  the  interests  of  the  popula- 
tion have  been  divided  between  the  business  dis- 
trict on  the  valley  flat  and  the  campus  at  the  crest 


AN   EARLY   COLONIAL  HOME,   ITHACA 


of  the  over-steepened  slope,  separated  primarily 
by  a  difference  in  altitude  of  some  four  hundred 
feet.  The  result  has  been  the  development  of  a 
hillside  town  in  a  place  where  there  was  ample  room 
for  residential  growth  on  comparatively  level  lands 
to  the  south  and  west.  Practically  all  the  hillslope 
between  Fall  and  Six  Mile  Creeks  is  covered  with 
residences.    The  actual  distance  from  the  campus 


Old  Colonial  Homes  iN  Ithaca 


The  Clinton  House 

Exterior  erected  in  the  early  days  of  Ithaca,  then  known  as  the 
finest  hotel  between  New  York  and  Buffalo 


4  Ky  • 

1 

■■■■I 

ii 

Illlll 

iiiflili 

.         .     ft*.'     'V 

ngmyB      \ 

221 

The  New  Ithaca  High  School 


Geography  of  the  Region  433 

to  the  business  center  of  the  city  is  short,  but  the 
direct  down  hill  streets  are  so  steep  as  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly tiresome  to  climb  and  dangerous  to  de- 
scend in  winter  when  there  is  an  ice  and  snow 
cover.  This  steepness  has  also  made  the  trans- 
portation problem  difficult.  The  grades  are  too 
heavy  for  trolley  lines  to  negotiate  directly.  Hence 
circuitous  routes  are  necessary,  with  diagonal  as- 
cents of  the  slopes.  Even  under  those  conditions 
the  motors  must  be  geared  very  low,  high  rates 
of  speed  are  impossible.  The  combination  of 
roundabout  routes  and  low  speeds  make  anything 
like  rapid  transit  from  the  valley  to  the  campus  out 
of  the  question.  Moreover,  even  with  their  long 
routes  the  trolleys  do  not  serve  a  wide  area.  The 
upshot  of  this,  in  connection  with  the  utilization 
of  practically  all  the  plateau  area  by  the  university, 
is  that  the  extent  of  available  residential  tracts  is 
quite  limited.  Conservation  of  time  and  energy 
necessitates  living  at  some  place  convenient  to 
both  the  town  and  the  campus  for  a  large  part  of 
the  community.  These  circumstances,  conjointly, 
have  developed  the  condition  of  high  prices  for 
lands,  and  exceedingly  high  rents  for  apartments 
in  what  is  in  other  respects  a  village  residential 
center. 

With  the  increasing  use  of  motor  cars,  and  with 
the  promised  extension  of  the  trolley  lines  an  ad- 
mirable solution  of  this  difficulty  has,  however, 
been  found,  for  that  part  of  the  community  that 
has  its  chief  interest  or  business  in  the  university's 
activities,  by  the  incorporation  and  development  of 


434  Concerning  Cornell 

the  Village  of  Cayuga  Heights.  This  thriving  and 
most  attractive  suburb  occupies  a  portion  of  the 
valley  slope  of  Cayuga  Lake  about  one-half  mile 
to  the  north  of  the  campus.  Being  outside  the  city 
it  is  immune  from  the  very  heavy  tax  rate  levied  on 
Ithaca  property.  This  saving,  and  the  exceedingly 
fine  views  of  both  the  lake  and  valley  that  Cayuga 
Heights  residents  enjoy,  probably  more  than  com- 
pensate for  this  suburb's  greater  distance  from  the 
business  center  than  that  of  the  other  residential 
districts.  The  village  is,  moreover,  admirably  laid 
out,  and  many  fine  sites  are  still  available  for  future 
growth.  The  hillside  site  has  made  the  matter  of 
fire  protection  a  difficult  problem  which  is  further 
aggravated  by  the  fact  that  most  of  the  apparatus 
is  housed  in  the  valley,  because  the  university  is 
exempt  from  taxation.  Modern,  motor  fire  trucks 
have,  however,  done  much  to  overcome  this  diffi- 
culty. 

The  water  supply,  too,  was  for  a  long  time 
inadequate  but  by  availing  itself  recently,  on  a 
proper  scale,  of  the  really  excellent  opportunity 
afforded  by  the  geographic  conditions  for  creating 
a  sufficient  reservoir,  the  community  has  solved 
the  water  problem.  It  will  be  recalled  that  the 
characteristic  features  of  the  bottoms  of  the  hang- 
ing valleys,  just  above  their  lips,  are  a  succession 
of  amphitheatres,  and  connecting  rock  gorges,  de- 
veloped as  the  streams  flow  in  and  out  of  their 
earlier  interglacial  courses.  One  of  these  gorges 
in  Six  Mile  Creek  has  been  closed  by  a  high  dam, 
and  the  amphitheatre  in  the  interglacial  gorge 


Geography  of  the  Region  435 

above  it  flooded,  providing  an  ample  reservoir  at 
low  cost.  Moreover,  as  the  drainage  area  of  the 
upper  section  of  the  creek  is  comparatively  small, 
it  can  be  guarded  conveniently  against  contamina- 
tion. At  an  earlier  date  much  of  the  water  supply 
was  secured  from  artesian  wells  and  such  water  is 


A    "MOVIE"    THEATRE    IN    ITHACA 


now  used  to  some  extent  for  making  artificial  ice. 
Owing  to  an  unwillingness  to  recognize  the  local 
origin  of  these  artesian  waters  they  were  over- 
developed in  an  attempt  to  supply  the  whole  com- 
munity with  them. 

It  is  comparatively  simple  to  recount  and  point 
out  the  geographic  influences  that  have  and  are 
contemporaneously  exerting  an  effect  on  the  indi- 
vidual and  collective  fortunes  of  a  community.  To 
predict  what  conditions  will  be  important  in  the 
future  or  to  suggest  better  utilization  of  resources 
at  hand  is  more  difficult  and  open  to  criticism  as 


436  Concerning  Cornell 

opinions  may  differ.  But  such  efforts  constitute  a 
phase  of  applied  geography  and  one  that  has  been 
much  neglected,  hence  is  deserving  of  some  expo- 
sition in  this  connection  even  though  unskilful. 

The  transportation  prospect  of  the  future  for 
the  region  is  the  maximum  utilization  of  the  Ithaca 
terminal  of  the  barge  canal.  It  is  extremely  likely 
that  the  salt  and  cement  companies  will  avail 
themselves  of  this  to  a  very  large  extent  in  shipping 
goods  both  east  and  west.  Water  transportation  is 
so  much  cheaper  than  railroad  transportation  that 
if  the  cargoes  were  available  there  could  be  no 
question  of  the  barge  canal  being  profitable.  Bulk 
cargoes  other  than  salt  and  cement  would  need  to 
be  furnished  largely  by  agricultural  and  lumber 
products.  It  might  be  feasible  also  to  maintain  a 
passenger  steamer  plying  the  length  of  the  lake  if 
by  arranging  circular  tours  out  of  New  York  City 
by  way  of  Ithaca,  Cayuga  Lake,  Niagara  Falls, 
Lake  Ontario,  the  St.  Lawrence,  Lake  Champlain, 
Lake  George  and  the  Hudson  River,  enough  tour- 
ists could  be  attracted  to  visit  the  Finger  Lake 
country.  Such  a  steamer  would  need  to  be  fast 
and  commodious  to  be  successful. 

The  development  of  the  agricultural  bulk 
products  would  necessitate  providing  roads  to  the 
upland  sections  with  low  enough  grades  for  the 
operation  of  tractors  capable  of  hauling  a  string  of 
wagons  to  the  lake  terminal.  It  would  also  need 
co-operation  among  the  farmers  to  provide  an 
adequate  quantity  of  marketable  products.  But 
potatoes,  apples  (properly  graded  and  packed)  and 


Geography  of  the  Region  437 

beef  cattle  in  view  of  rising  meat  prices  could  be 
shipped,  and  are  all  adapted  to  production  in 
quantity  in  the  region.  With  proper  reforestation 
of  the  hillslopes  and  summits  there  would  also  be 
a  constantly  increasing  supply  of  valuable  pine 
lumber  to  send  out.  For  return  cargoes  western 
corn  for  cattle  fattening  and  perhaps  bituminous 
coal  and  coke  from  Lake  Erie  ports  could  be  se- 
cured. 

Industrial  expansion  ought  to  be  largely  along 
the  line  of  specialized  manufactures,  requiring  in- 
telligent labor,  such  as  are  now  successfully  estab- 
lished at  Ithaca.  The  presence  of  the  University 
would  provide  an  incentive  for  the  removal  of 
skilled  artisans  to  an  inland  center.  Other  salt  and 
cement  companies  might  find  it  profitable  to  estab- 
lish plants.  An  increasing  volume  of  high  value, 
small  bulk  products  would  compensate  the  rail- 
roads, at  least  in  part,  for  any  loss  in  traffic  on 
account  of  barge  canal  shipments.  The  consolida- 
tion of  the  water-powers  of  both  Fall  Creek  and 
Cascadilla  Creek  by  reservoirs  and  central  convert- 
ing plants  would  be  of  great  industrial  advantage. 
Any  additional  development  of  industrial  or  com- 
mercial activity  will,  of  course,  bring  about  growth 
in  population.  This  is  eminently  desirable  and  will 
react  favorably  on  the  university's  interests,  for 
it  is  extremely  unlikely  that  such  growth  will  ever 
keep  pace  with  the  university's  expansion  and 
consequent  dominance  of  the  situation.  In  closing, 
therefore,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  recommend  to 
such  readers  of  these  lines  that  may  be  in  search 


438  Concerning  Cornell 

of  a  home  site  where  the  leisure  of  ample  means 
may  be  made  enjoyable  by  both  physical  and  in- 
tellectual stimulus,  that  the  Ithaca-Cornell  region 
affords  these  with  its  beautiful  scenery,  really  fine 
autumn  climate,  with  access  to  innumerable  con- 
certs, plays  and  lectures  of  metropolitan  standard, 
combined  with  the  pleasure  of  living  in  a  cultured 
community.  For  a  family  with  children  to  educate 
the  location  is  almost  ideal,  for  the  elementary  and 
secondary  schools  of  Ithaca  are  of  exceptionally 
high  grade,  and,  combined  with  the  facilities  for 
higher  education  provided  by  the  university,  meet 
all  demands  for  the  training  of  any  generation  in 
any  field.  And  the  advertising  slogan  of  the  com- 
munity is  "Ithaca  Invites  You." 


CHAPTER  X 

OVER  HILL  AND  INTO  HOLLOW 

THE  great  panorama  of  nature  that  is  spread 
before  the  newcomer's  eyes  from  the  vantage 
point  of  the  Cornell  campus  is  only  a  formal  and 
distant  introduction  to  the  scenic  charm  of  the 
environment.  The  grandeur  of  the  initial  pros- 
pect, with  its  wide  expanses  of  hillslope,  its  restful 
valley  aspect  and  the  blue  lure  of  the  lake  waters, 
only  suggests  the  infinite  variety  of  scenic  interest 
that  remains  concealed.  To  know  these  hidden 
things  intimately  calls  for  something  of  the  ardor 
of  the  explorer.  For  such  an  enthusiast  there  are 
gorges  and  waterfalls  almost  without  number  to  be 
sought  out,  rambles  by  purling  brooks  slipping 
from  field  into  forest,  and  unexpected  glimpses  of 
shimmering  lakes  and  peaceful  country  villages  to 
be  had  from  lonely  hilltops.  It  is  not  a  region  of 
rugged  and  awe-inspiring  mountain  splendor  but 
of  the  kind  that  pleases  and  soothes  from  the 
motor  road,  yet  holds  enough  of  the  wilderness 
aspect  in  its  remoter  places  to  gratify  the  discover- 
ing instinct  of  the  tramper. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  this  scenic  attractiveness 
is  a  resource  peculiar  to  the  immediate  environ- 
ment of  the  university.  It  is  shared  by  all  the 
Finger  Lakes  country  of  Central  New  York  and 
the  wonder  is,  that,  altogether  aside  from  the  fact 
that  Cornell  is  located  in  the  area,  the  region  is  not 
more  favorably  known  and  more  commonlv  visited 


440  Concerning  Cornell 

by  the  tourist  public.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
conceive  a  district  holding  in  store  more  of  quiet 
beauty  and  romantic  wildness  than  this.  In  the 
past  the  relative  inaccessibility  by  rail  may  have 
had  something  to  do  with  its  not  becoming  cele- 
brated, but  with  the  modern  vogue  for  motor- 
touring,  and  the  completion  of  excellent  state 
roads,  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  the  Finger 
Lake  country  will  be  more  and  more  the  resort  of 


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Over  Hill  and  Into  Hollow  441 

those  who  plan  their  trips  with  discrimination. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  true  that  Ithaca  and  Cor- 
nell are  central  to  some  of  the  finest  features  of  the 
general  region,  and  on  that  account  this  chapter 
is  inserted.  These  paragraphs  and  pictures  may 
serve  to  acquaint  some  readers  with  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  environment  or  perhaps  to  incite  the 
incoming  undergraduate  with  an  immediate  desire 
to  seek  out  the  places  mentioned.  In  either  event 
they  will  be  of  good  purpose. 

With  past  experience  as  guide,  there  is  at  once 
a  great  temptation  to  go  far  afield,  to  strike  out, 
immediately,  away  from  the  beaten  track.  That 
would  be  a  mistake  for  the  newcomer  at  Ithaca 
and  Cornell.  The  city  itself  has  recently  begun  to 
recognize  this  fact,  the  concrete  evidence  being  that 
a  City  Park  has  been  made  of  the  Six  Mile  Creek 
gorge  for  that  part  of  its  extent  that  parallels  the 
main  street  of  the  town.  Within  a  few  blocks  of 
the  principal  hotels  one  can  descend  into  a  rock- 
walled  chasm,  and,  following  along  paths  that  lead 
through  clumps  of  woodland,  into  open  glades,  to 
the  foot  of  foaming  falls,  and  along  steep  ledges, 
find  enough  of  sylvan  beauty  to  while  away  an 
Sj^isiL  afternoon  most  agree- 

ably. 

If  the  hour  is  not 
too  late,  the  trolley 
ride  "around  the 
loop,"  with  perhaps 
a  stop  at  "Inspira- 
tion Point "  will  afford 


442  Concerning  Cornell 

a  delightful  relaxation  from  the  earlier  walk  and 
an  added  scenic  gratification.  Near  the  summit 
of  its  winding  ascent,  from  the  valley  bottom  to 
the  campus  plateau,  the  trolley  route  along  a  con- 
siderable distance  affords  the  passenger  an  outlook 
directly  down  on  the  city  and  for  miles  up  the  lake. 
This  makes  an  especially  pleasing  prospect,  one  of 
which  even  the  old  inhabitant  does  not  tire;  a  ride 
around  the  loop  is  quite  an  institution  among  the 
good  citizens  of  Ithaca. 

Immediately  adjacent  to  the  campus,  at  its 
south  entrance  from  College  Avenue,  there  is  a 
pretty  path  among  the  hemlocks  bordering  the 
upper  length  of  Cascadilla  Gorge.  This  was  a 
favorite  retreat  of  Goldwin  Smith,  during  the  two 
years  that  he  spent  at  Cornell,  hence  is  known  as 
Goldwin  Smith  Walk.  On  the  far  side  of  the  cam- 
pus, along  Beebe  Lake  and  Fall  Creek  Gorge,  is  a 
similar  path  leading  to  Forest  Home  village.  Both 
of  these  walks  are  of  romantic  aspect,  the  first  af- 
fording intimate  glimpses  of  rushing  water  in  a 
narrow  rock  gorge;  the  latter  opening  out  wider 
views  over  the  placid  waters  of  the  little  lake  with 
its  forest-covered  slope  opposite — especially  beau- 
tiful in  autumn. 

From  the  upper  bridge  across  Fall  Creek,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  campus,  one  can  look  down  into 
the  tremendously  deep  lower  gorge.  Just  at  this 
point,  so  the  story  runs,  as  told  by  Griffis  in  his 
"Pathfinders  of  the  Revolution,"  a  white  maiden, 
made  captive  by  the  Seneca  Indians  at  the  Cherry 
Valley  massacre,  was  found  and  rescued  by  her 


Over  Hill  and  Into  Hollow  443 

lover,  a  member  of  General  Sullivan's  expedition. 
It  seems  that  the  maiden  had  been  able  to  send  a 
letter  back  to  her  white  friends  by  a  negro  captive 
whom  the  Indians  regarded  as  a  trusty.  In  this 
letter  she  described  a  hiding  place  that  she  had 
discovered,  near  a  great  waterfall,  in  a  gorge  at  the 
south  end  of  Cayuga  Lake,  a  place  to  which  she 
proposed  to  flee  if  ever  a  punitive  expedition  should 
be  sent  into  the  lake  country.  The  exact  locality 
she  fixed  as  the  point  where  a  little  primrose,  not 
found  elsewhere  in  the  region,  flourished  on  the 


IX  UPPER  FALL  CREEK  GORGE 


gorge  walls,  and  of  this  flower  she  enclosed  pressed 
specimens.  Fortunately  for  the  success  of  her  plan 
the  Indians  departed  several  days  before  the  white 
troops  came  into  the  Cayuga  region,  the  maiden 
was  able  to  elude  them,  and  to  attain  her  retreat: 


444  Concerning  Cornell 

where,  after  an  anxious  search,  her  lover  eventually 
discovered  her;  the  little  primrose  playing  its  ro- 
mantic part  just  as  she  had  planned.  The  great 
waterfall  of  her  letter,  however,  is  now  identified  by 
the  quite  unromantic  name  of  Triphammer  Falls. 

Just  below  the  bridge,  on  the  south  side,  is  a 
path  by  which  one  may  descend  to  the  bottom  of 
the  gorge  and,  if  the  water  is  not  too  high,  follow 
its  course,  dry  shod,  to  another  large  falls  just 
above  the  suspension  bridge.  Below  this  falls  is  a 
great  pool  that  in  recent  years  has  been  a  favorite 
swimming  place  for  the  Summer  Session  students. 
This  pool  presents  a  quite  animated  appearance  on 
a  hot  July  afternoon,  when  a  hundred  or  more 
bathers  and  divers  may  be  disporting  themselves 
at  the  same  hour. 

Farther  down  the  gorge  is  the  lower  trolley 
bridge,  from  the  side  of  which  the  brink  of  the 
Ithaca  Falls  is  visible,  as  is  also  the  entrance  to 
the  famous  tunnel  constructed  by  Ezra  Cornell. 
The  more  adventurous  may  find  the  lower  end  of 
this  tunnel  and  thus  gain  entrance  for  an  explora- 
tion of  its  length.  It  will  then  be  noted  that  the 
roof  of  the  tunnel  is  formed  by  a  durable  stratum 
of  sandstone,  while  the  passage  itself  is  cut  through 
friable  shales.  It  remained,  however,  for  Ezra 
Cornell  to  see  how  feasible  and  economical  this 
relation  of  the  rock  strata  made  such  an  engineer- 
ing project,  and  also  to  carry  out  the  plan. 

From  the  brink  of  the  rock  wall,  above  the 
Ithaca  Falls,  Cayuga  Lake  is  once  more  visible  and 
invites  a  voyage  on  its  waters.    If  one  yields  to  its 


Over  Hill  and  Into  Hollow  445 

lure,  bear  this  warning  in  mind  (the  only  lines  in 
this  volume  printed  in  black  face  type):  Do  not 
venture  on  Cayuga  Lake  in  any  craft  that  is 
liable  to  upset  from  its  own  crankiness,  from 
waves  or  wind,  unless  you  are  willing  to  wear  a 
life-preserver  that  will  support  your  inert  body 
indefinitely.  It  will  not  avail  that  you  are  a  strong 
swimmer,  the  open  waters  of  Cayuga  are  almost 
icy  cold  the  year  round  and  soon  numb  the  efforts 
of  the  most  hardy.  Hence  almost  every  year  is 
marred  by  one  or  more  tragic  drownings. 


CAYUGA    LAKE    FROM    RENWICK    PIER 

In  summer,  daily  steamboat  service  is  available 
to  points  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake  near 
Ithaca,  occasionally  an  excursion  trip  is  made  to 
its  northern  end.  On  a  bright,  warm  day  either 
the  short  trip  or  the  long  trip  is  extremely  enjoy- 
able, especially  if  a  stop  for  dinner  is  made  at 
Glenwood  Point  or  at  one  of  the  other  hotels  along 


446  Concerning  Cornell 

the  shore.  From  Glenwood  one  has  a  very  impres- 
sive view  of  the  university  buildings  crowning  the 
heights  above  the  town. 

But  the  main  objective  of  a  trip  down  Cayuga 
is  the  Taughannock  Gorge  and  Falls.  If  the  steam- 
er service  is  not  available  to  its  lower  end,  the 
gorge  may  also  be  reached  by  rail  or  road  at  its 
head.  For  those  who  love  a  scramble,  however, 
the  climb  up  the  gorge  from  its  lower  end  is  much 
the  better  way  to  get  a  proper  conception  of  its 
phenomena. 

The  beginning  of  the  gorge,  down  stream,  is 
marked  by  a  very  pretty,  though  low,  waterfall 
over  the  Tully  limestone.  Just  above  this  point 
the  black  cliffs  of  the  Genesee  shale  begin  to  rise 
on  each  side  and  shortly  attain  really  grand  as- 
pects. Canyons  in  the  western  plateau  districts 
of  the  United  States  present  sheer  cliffs  of  much 
greater  height,  but  the  Taughannock  develop- 
ment, occurring  in  what  is,  in  general,  a  placid 
agricultural  country,  gains  in  impressiveness  by 
this  contrast  with  the  normal  scenic  aspect  of  the 
region. 

Although  the  gorge  is  of  considerable  width, 
the  stream,  flowing  from  side  to  side  over  its  bot- 
tom, forces  the  path  at  times  to  slippery  ledges, 
so  that  the  climb  up  the  mile  or  more  of  distance 
to  the  foot  of  the  big  falls  is  not  without  its  minor 
thrills.  For  most  of  the  way  the  gorge  sides  are 
forested  but,  at  its  head,  the  site  of  the  falls  is 
marked  by  a  great  open  pit,  where  overhanging 
rock  walls  rise  on  either  hand,  bare  and  black,  to 


Over  Hill  and  Into  Hollow  447 

the  plateau  level  some  three  hundred  to  four  hun- 
dred feet  above.  Into  this  plateau  level  a  smaller, 
upper  gorge  has  been  cut  by  the  stream,  and  from 
the  end  of  this  upper  gorge  the  waters  plunge  in  a 
vertical  fall  of  some  two  hundred  and  fifteen  feet, 
or  about  forty-five  feet  "higher'n  Niagara"  in  local 
phraseology.  To  get  a  vivid  sensation  of  the 
actual  scale  of  the  place  it  is  necessary  to  approach 
the  foot  of  the  fall  quite  closely  and  then  look  up. 
Thus  the  observer  becomes  aware  of  the  insignifi- 
cance of  his  own  stature  and  the  cliffs  take  on 
menacing  proportions.  But  the  falls  themselves 
are  lovely,  and  in  a  different  way  from  that  of 
other  cascades  in  the  region  because  of  their  straight 
descent.  Seen  from  above,  framed  by  the  forest 
greenery,  they  make  a  notable  picture. 

Three  other  gorges  deserve  especial  mention: 
Buttermilk,  Enfield  and  Watkins.  The  first  two 
were  purchased  and  made  accessible  to  the  sight- 
seer by  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  Ithaca — Mr. 
R.  H.  Treman,  and  he  later  presented  Enfield  to 
the  state  for  a  state  park,  which  Watkins  has 
been  for  sometime.  All  three  are  easily  reached 
by  motor,  over  fine  state  roads,  at  distances  of 
approximately,  three,  seven  and  twenty-five  miles, 
respectively.  Buttermilk  can  be  explored  in  the 
course  of  an  afternoon's  tramp  from  Ithaca,  it  is 
sylvan-dell  like  in  its  several  reaches  and  contains 
many  interesting  pot-hole  cauldrons.  Enfield  is 
the  wildest  of  the  gorges  in  the  region,  its  pristine 
conditions  are  practically  untouched,  it,  no  doubt, 
will  best  please  the  romantic  nature  lover.    The 


448  Concerning  Cornell 

exceedingly  straight  chutes,  with  sides  determined 
by  joints  in  the  bed-rock,  of  the  upper  gorge,  are 
a  very  unusual  feature  in  gorge  scenery;  and  the 
view  from  the  great  Lucifer  Falls,  a  vantage  point 
that  can  be  attained  with  perfect  safety  by  those 
who  are  not  made  dizzy  by  great  heights,  is  of 
exceptionally  impressive  sweep.  Watkins  Glen, 
with  its  concrete  walks  and  iron  railings,  gives 
opportunity  to  view  typical  gorge  scenery  of  the 
Finger  Lake  country  to  those  who  from  age  or 
infirmity  are  not  equal  to  the  task  of  scrambling 
through  the  less  improved  occurrences.  The  pe- 
culiar feature  of  the  Watkins  Glen  is  that  the 
water  channel,  in  characteristic  stretches,  is  con- 
fined to  narrow,  spiral  grooves,  and  these  in  turn 
are  quite  uniquely  fluted. 

It  will  be  noted  that  each  of  the  gorges  has  fea- 
tures not  duplicated  in  the  others,  and  that  is  a 
hint  of  the  further  resources  of  this  kind  that  the 
region  holds  in  store  for  the  enthusiastic  tramper, 
who  may  wish  to  find  places  less  generally  known 
than  those  cited.  Practically  every  stream  of  the 
region,  in  descending  to  any  one  of  the  lake  levels, 
flows  through  one  or  more  rock  glens.  Merely  as 
a  suggestion  along  this  line  Lick  Brook,  Coy  Glen 
and  the  headwaters  of  Six  Mile  Creek  may  be 
named  as  worthy  of  the  beginning  efforts  in  a 
systematic  searching  out  of  such  places.  It  may 
also  be  hinted  that  some  of  these  streams  yield  fine 
catches  of  trout  to  the  competent  fisherman,  to  say 
more  would  be  telling. 

Only  a  few  miles  distant  from  the  campus  are 


-  **S>v^ 


J^-afc* 


*V ' :: 


■  r  - 


Taughanncck  Falls 


In  Enfield  Glen 


Over  Hill  and  Into  Hollow  449 

two  quite  prominent  hill  summits,  Hungerford 
Hill  to  the  southeast,  and  Turkey  Hill  to  the  east. 
Both  these  afford  magnificent  views  of  the  country 
to  the  north,  including  the  university  site  and  the 
lake  basin.  Farther  afield,  to  the  south,  are  other 
still  greater  heights  that  will  afford  recompense  for 
more  ambitious  climbs  in  the  wider  prospects  over 
hill  and  valley  that  are  opened  up  from  their  sum- 
mits. On  such  slopes,  too,  the  arbutus  blooms  in 
early  spring  and,  at  the  end  of  June,  at  particular 
spots,  the  laurel  provides  a  very  riot  of  beautiful 
blossoms. 

For  those  who  do  not  wish  to  indulge  in  the 
cross-country  tramping  that  hilltop  objectives  en- 
tail, smooth  going  is  available  to  a  number  of 
points  of  considerable  interest  that  also  have  the 
merit  of  providing  a  pleasant  outlook  all  along  the 
way.  Perhaps  the  finest  is  the  walk  across  Cornell 
Heights  suburb  and  the  Cayuga  Heights  Village 
residence  section  to  the  state  road  that  parallels 
the  crest  of  the  east  valley  slope  of  Cayuga.  This 
gives  many  fine  views  up  the  valley,  over  the  city, 
and  down  the  lake;  makes  one  envy  those  who 
have  their  abodes  placed  on  the  jutting  points  that 
command  both  these  outlooks.  It  is  a  walk  to  take 
in  late  afternoon  for  then  one  is  almost  sure  to  sur- 
prise a  fine  sunset,  for  these  come  frequently  and 
are  famous  for  their  display  of  color.  Other  easy 
walks  are  through  Forest  Home  village  and  up  the 
Fall  Creek  valley  to  Varna,  the  one  south  along  the 
Six  Mile  valley  on  the  road  that  continues  the 
State  Street  highway,  or  to  go  out  along  the  Tru- 


450  Concerning  Cornell 

mansburg  road  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cayuga 
Valley. 

For  the  autoist  the  trip  to  the  George  Junior 
Republic,  an  institution  of  national  fame,  to  Dry- 
den,  to  Cortland  and  thence  on  to  Homer  is  to  be 
especially  commended  for  its  beauty  and  wide 
extent  of  view  all  along  the  route.  Homer  is  the 
birthplace  of  Andrew  D.  White,  is  also  the  home 
of  "David  Harum,"  and  has  many  fine  bits  of 
colonial  architecture,  particularly  doorways.  Other 
trips  that  find  especial  favor  are  those  to  Groton 
and  Auburn  by  the  side  of  Owasco  Lake,  to  Brook- 
ton  where  there  is  an  old  mill  and  some  picturesque 
houses  under  grand  elms,  to  Slaterville  Springs, 
once  a  famous  resort  on  account  of  its  mineralized 
waters  that  have  the  peculiar  property  of  giving 
a  metallic  iridescence  to  glass  articles  immersed  in 
them  for  a  time;  and  the  hackneyed,  but  always 
worth  while  ride  to  Watkins.  In  fact,  a  tour  of  the 
whole  Finger  Lakes  district  will  be  found  interest- 
ing, and  varyingly  so,  every  mile  of  the  route. 


INDEX 


Abandoned  farms,  419,  420 

Adams,  Charles  Kendall,  administra- 
tion of,  213-217;   resignation,  218 

Admission,  requirements  for,  342 

Advertising  of  university,  2(55,  305 

Agusis,  J.  Louis  R.,  197,  198 

Agricultural  College  at  Ovid,  135, 
167,  168 

Agriculture,  assembly,  81;  instruction 
in,  201,  202 

Agriculture.  College  of,  72 

Alumni  Field,  94-96 

Alumni,  number  of,  213;  loyalty  of, 
225 

Alumni  News,  Cornell,  153 

American  University,  typical  setting, 
5;  comparison  with  English,  7,  8 

Anecdotes,  of  student  solicitors,  14; 
of  mysterious  letter,  19:  of  wife- 
selection,  92;  of  Ostrander  Elms, 
101;  of  Ezra  Cornell's  rival  in  love, 
111;  of  Ezra  Cornell's  marriage, 
112;  of  Ezra  Cornell  as  mill  build- 
er, 115;  of  designing  of  telegraph 
laying  machine,  118;  of  first  trial  of 
telegraph  laying  machine,  120:  of 
Ezra  Cornell's  testing  of  telegraph 
insulation,  122;  of  wrecking  of  tele- 
graph pipe-laying  machine,  123,  of 
Andrew  D.  White's  handwriting, 
124;  of  Ezra  Cornell's  readiness  of 
speech,  124;  of  first  telegraph  mes- 
sage, 125;  of  Chicago's  reluctance 
to  invest  in  the  telegraph,  127;  of 
college  student  and  telegraph,  134; 
of  Ezra  Cornell's  objection  to  Syra- 
cuse for  site  of  university,  136;  of 
Ezra  Cornell's  last  illness,  143;  of 
Ezra  Cornell  and  student  labor, 
147;  of  Ezra  Cornell  and  autograph 
collector,  148;  of  Ezra  Cornell  and 
apple  seekers,  148;  of  Ezra  Cornell 
and  echo,  152;  of  Ezra  Cornell  and 
socialist,  153;  of  "Church  College" 
discipline,  157;  of  Russian  student, 
179;  of  teamster  and  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, 180;  of  pseudo-professor, 
180;  of  local  orator,  187;  of  Goldwin 
Smith,  196;  of  Agassiz,  197,  198; 
of  agricultural  professor,  202;  of 
"Teefy  '  Crane,  206;  of  freshman 
advisor,  233;  of  freshman  and  radi- 
ator, 230.  234;  of  student  in  English, 
237;  of  student  and  cold  cream,  238; 
of  students  and  landlord,  238;  of 
student  and  vaudeville  star,  239;  of 
student  and  examination,  241;  of 
Poultry  'Sociation  meetin',  245;  of 
making  a  fraternity,  288;  of  beat- 


ing Yale,  310;  of  Crew  celebration, 
311;  of  Courtney's  first  race,  312, 
of  Courtney  and  "short  cake" 
crew,  314;  of  Courtney  as  a  poker 
player,  314;  of  Moakley  and  track 
men,  318;  of  smell  of  Philadelphia, 
357;  of  name  Pony  Hollow,  402; 
of  name  of  Ithaca,  407;  of  white 
maiden  captive,  442 

Animal  Husbandry,  90 

Architecture,  College  of,  34;  exhibi- 
tions. 35;  library,  35;  study  of,  35; 
new  building  site,  36;  studios,  37 

Armory,  15 

Arts,  fine,  36 

Arts  and  Sciences,  College  of,  57 

Astronomical  Observatory,  48 

Athletics,  275-277;  305-335;  Stu- 
dent's Common,  94;  playground, 
94;  Interclass,  college,  fraternity 
games,  94;  Schoellkopf  memorial, 
95;  trophies,  95;  Bacon  Practice 
hall,  96;  board  track,  96;  baseball 
field,  96 

Aviation,  Army  students  of,  98 

Bacon  Practice  Hall,  96 

Bailey  Auditorium,  69,  244 

Baker  Laboratory  of  Chemistry.  38, 

39,  189 
Band,  Cornell,  274 
Banquets,  282 

Barnes  Hall,  21;  coffee  house,  237 
Barns,  92 
Baseball,  323 
Baseball,  field,  18,  96 
Basketball,  323 

Beebe  Lake,  winter  sports  on,  49 
Biulogical  collections,  78 
"Block  \Aeek,"  242 
Board,  230-232 
Boardman  Hall,  63 
Boston  Transcript,  305  307 
Botanic  gardens,  proposed,  93 
Buildings,  names  of,  63 
"Busting,"  236,  243,  291,  325,  351 
Buttermilk  Gorge,  447 


"C"  men,  328,  335 

Cafeterias,  Home  Economics,  72;  231, 
232 

Caldwell  Hall,  84 

Campus,  as  seen  from  library  tower, 
29;  beauty  of,  3, 103,  104,  188;  early 
appearance,  4,  185;  early  buildings, 
187;  environment, 52;  extent  of,  48, 
65,  94;  fitness,  6 

Cap-burning,  freshman,  286 


454 


Concerning  Cornell 


Cascadilla,  bridge,  12,  13;  building, 
11;  gorge,  11,  12 

Cayuga  Heights,  village  of,  434,  449 

Cayuga  Lake,  as  seen  from  library 
tower,  29;  view  of  from  Sibley  Col- 
lege. 46;  higher  levels  of,  391,  392, 
Indian  name,  394;  effect  on  climate; 
398;  as  summer  resort,  401;  early 
travel  on,  412;  steamboat  service, 
445;  warning,  445 

Central  Avenue,  advertising  on  walks, 
of,  13;  view  up,  20 

Championsbip,  in  crew,  311,  312;  in 
track,  317;  in  cross-country,  318; 
in  football,  320;  in  basketball,  322; 
in  baseball,  323;  in  wrestling,  324 

Cheerleaders,  240 

Chemistry,  Baker  Laboratory  of,  38, 
39,  189 

Chemistry,  instruction  in,  39 

Chime,  music  of,  24;  history,  25;  re- 
casting bells  and  increasein  number, 
25;  inscription  on  bell,  26;  compe- 
tition for  position  of  Chime  Master, 
26;  "Jennie  McGraw  Rag,"  27;  jn 
wooden  campanile,  185 

Chi  Psi  house,  42 

Civil  Engineering,  College  of,  56 

Class  Book,  272 

Class,  first,  186,  187 

Climate,  54 

Clubs,  265-268;  50 

Co-education,  19,  177    181,  236 

College  education,  value  of,  291.  292, 
338,  340.  358-378 

College  of  Agriculture,  72,  77,  93,  202, 
223,  339,  366-374,  430,  431;  Archi- 
tecture, 34.  362-363;  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences, 57,  204-208,  338-339,  342, 
343,  375-377;  Civil  Engineering,  56, 
208, 350-363;  Law,  63, 365,  366;  Me- 
chanical Engineering,  43,  202-204, 
363-365;  Medicine,  61,  210-212, 358, 
360:  Veterinary  Science,  98,  208, 
360 

Committees,  279,  280 

Competition,  26,  268,  276,  277 

Conditioned  Courses,  342,  343 

Convocation  Hour,  234,  353 

Co-operation,  colleges  and  depart- 
ments, 34 

Cornell,  Ezra  and  F.O.  J.  Smith,  116, 
118;  and  Professor  Morse,  120;  and 
undergraduate  of  Union,  134;  and 
student  labor,  147,  179,  202;  and 
Andrew  D.White,  152,  162,  163;  ap- 
pearance, 145,  146, 162;  and  Ithaca 
site  for  university,  430;  arrival  at 
Ithaca,  109;  as  university  founder, 
145;  attacks  on,  151,  152.  170,  175; 
at  Syracuse,  108;  autobiography, 
107,  115;  birth,  105;  characteriza- 
tion of,  153;  childhood,  106;  con- 
struction of  the  Beebe   dam,    115; 


construction  of  flouring  mill,  115; 
construction  of  tunnel,  114;  443; 
death,  144;  demeanor,  146;  design- 
er of  telegraph  laying  machine,  118; 
education,  108,  123,  124,  132,  379; 
employment  at  Ithaca,  109;  faith  in 
university's  future  greatness,  150; 
family,  112;  first  home,  113;  Forest 
Park  home,  130;  fortune,  144;  for- 
tune realized,  129;  gentleman  far- 
mer. 130;  geography  of  life,  164; 
his  idea  of  benefit  of  university  136; 
ideal  of  university,  338,  340;  illness, 
143,  144,  184:  interment,  153;  in- 
ventor, 125;  labors  for  university, 
137,  138;  laying  telegraph  pipe,  121- 
123;  locating  timber  lands,  172; 
machimst,  108;  marriage.  111; 
memory  of  war  of  1812,  107;  motto. 
150;  on  campus,  146,  147:  original- 
ity, 115;  parentage,  105;  pedestrian, 
109,  117;  persistence,  150,  151; 
philanthropy,  116,  129-131,  132, 
133,  163;  pioneer  experience,  107; 
pioneer  farming,  108;  plow  agent, 
116;  political  services,  131;  portrait, 
31,  64;  poverty,  110,  113;  Quaker, 
112;  railroad  investments,  141,  142, 
144;  relations  with  students,  147- 
149;  statue,  33;  telegraph  promoter, 
126-128;  trustee  of  Agricultural 
College  at  Ovid,  135;  undertakings, 
110,113;  "Villa  Cornell"  residence, 
149;  visit  to  Maine,  116,  117;  Geor- 
gia, 116;  wife's  parentage,  112; 
youthful  builder.  108 

Cornell  Heights,  449 

Cornell  Idea,  178,  182,  218 

Cornell  Neck,  105 

"Cornell,"  poem,  2 

Cornell  Union,  20,  21,  237 

Cornell  University,  attacks  on,  170, 
182;  buildings.  222,  223:  early  criti- 
cisms, 178,  215;  early  difficulties, 
179;  endowment,  166,  168,  171- 
174,  214;  faculty,  212,  213;  first 
class,  186;  first  president,  176;  foun- 
dation ideas,  177;  growth,  214;  his- 
tories of,  154,  155;  incorporation, 
169,  170;  Ithaca  site,  169;  loyalty 
of  alumni,  225;  motto,  177;  name, 
169;  need  for  larger  endowment, 
224,  225;  number  of  tudents, 
213;  opening  day,  184;  optional 
course,  180;  presidents  of,  213,  224; 
purpose,  184,  338;  research  at,  215, 
346;  situation,  140,  227;  site,  317, 
431 

Cornellian,  272 

Costume  shop,  74 

Courses,  conditioned,  342,  343 

Courtney,  Charles  E.,  312-316 

Coy  Glen,  448 

Crane,  T.  F.,  205,  206,  236 


Index 


Crew,  15,  29,  310-316 

Cross-Country,  316 

Curtis,  George  William,  oration,  186 

Dairy  Building,  81 

Dances,  263-284 

Debute,  273 

Departments  of  animal  husbandry, 
90  372;  biology,  79;  botany,  77, 
372;  chemistry,  38,  84,  375;  dairy 
industry.  82;  electrical  engineering, 
37,  2U4;  entomology,  79.  371;  farm 
crops,  90,  367,  3<>8;  farm  manage- 
ment, 85,  367;  farm  practice,  77; 
floriculture,  72,80,  86,369;  forestry, 
87,  372,  373;  geology,  33;  home 
economics,  74,  373,  374;  horticul- 
ture, 80;  landscape  art,  36,  85,  370; 
meteorology,  79,  82;  oratory,  376; 
phvsics,  66,  375;  plant  breeding, 
86,  370;  plant  pathology,  71,  86, 
370,  371;  political  science,  376; 
pomology,  370;  poultry  husbandry, 
88;  psychology,  32;  rural  economy, 
75;  rural  education,  85,  372;  rural 
engineering,  85,  372;  soil  technolo- 
gy, 84,  86, 368. 369; vegetable  gard- 
ening, 86.  369;  veterinary  materia 
medica,  100;  zoology,  33 

DeWitt,  Simeon,  407,  408 

Discipline,  263,  264,  280 

Dobie,  Gilmour,  record,  322 

Dormitories,  297-301 

Dormitory  arrangements  for  women, 
48 

Dramatic  organizations,  274 

Drill  hall,  description  of,  97;  aviators' 
quarters,  98;  other  uses  of,  243, 
244    335 

Drinking,  236,  282 

Elms,   Central   Avenue,  20;   Class  of 

1872,  66;  Ostrander,  101 
Endowment,  224,  225,  301,  344-347 
Enfield  Gorge,  447 
Engineering    Colleges,  combined,  35, 

202 
Era,  Cornell,  272 
Evening  Song,  255 
Examinations,  241-243 
Excursions,  348,  355 
Exedra,  61 
Expenses,  260,  293-295,  300,  301 

Faculty,    on    governing    board,    217, 

218;  original,  206,  212 
Falls.     Ithaca,     444;     Lucifer,     448; 

Taughannock.  446,  447 
Farms,  university,  93 
Farrand,  Livingston,  66,  224 
Fernow  Hall,  87 
Festival  Chorus,  275 
Filtration  plant,  87 


455 

Financial  crisis,  of  1836-37,   116:   of 

1873,  143 
Fine  arts,  36 

Finger  Lakes  region,  439-441,  450 
First    white    man's  structure  on   the 

quadrangle,  56 
Football,  319-323,  331-333 
Foreign  students  at  Cornell,  226 
Forest  Home,  442 
Forestry  Building,  87 
Franklin  Hall,  content,  37 
Fraternities,  287-304 
Freshman  rush,  248 
Functions  of  university  training,  378 

Gardens,  flower,  72,  93 

Gate  receipts,  329 

Geography  of  Ithaca-Cornell  region, 

379-438 
Giant's  Staircase  falls,  12 
Glacial  period,  387-392,  418,  419,  422, 

423 
Glenwood,  444 
Goldwin  Smith   Hall,  description  of 

57,  207,  210 
Gorges,  origin  of,  388 
Graduate  school,  353,  354 
Graduation,  342,  343 
Graphic,  Cornell,  14,  272 
Greenhouse  range,  86 
Gymnasium,  15 

Halls,  names  of,  63 

Harvard,  campus,  characterization  of, 
5;  university,  bicentennial  celebra- 
tion, 336 

Heating  plant,  new,  17 

Hecksher,  August,  research  gift,  346 

Heroism  of  Cornell  students,  191-194 

Home  economics,  building,  72;  cafe- 
teria, 72;  instruction  in,  74 

Honorary  degrees,  215,  216,  355;  soci- 
eties, 266,  278,  279 

Honor  system,  291 

Honors,  student,  282 

Hops,  All  Cornell,  283 

Hotel  management  course,  374 

Hour,  at  the,  103 

Hour,  convocation,  234,  353;  credit, 
235;  eight  o'clock,  235 

Hours,  94,  347-351 

Hoy,  Davy,  96,  236 

Hoy  Field,  18,  96,  97 

Hydraulic  laboratory,  49 

Indians,  402.  403,  443 

Infirmary,  220 

Instruction,  35,  36,  45,  81, 82, 84,  336- 
378;  hours,  205;  practical  with  the- 
oretical, 84;  undergraduate  idea  of, 
265 

Intercollegiate  track  cup,  95;  trophy 
316-319 


456 


Concerning  Cornell 


Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  agriculture,  405,  418- 
424,  436,  437;  as  residential  cen- 
ter; 430.  432-434,438;  as  residence 
place,  357;  canal  projects,  409,  413, 
415-418;  city  park,  441;  climate, 
397-401,  421;  decline.  139;  early 
explorers,  392,  393,  408;  earlv  pros- 
perity, 109,  139,  410,  412,  417;  fire 
protection,  434;  first  settlement, 
403-405,  408;  forests,  393-396,  405; 
geography  of,  379-438;  horse-power 
railroad,  414;  hunting  in  early  days, 
395;  industries,  425,430,437;  name, 
407;  relations  with  students,  239; 
resources,  410,  411,  417,  418;  salt 
industry,  383,  427,  428;  site  of  first 
houses,  405,  406;  transportation, 
420,  421;  transportation  lines,  141, 
436;  transportation  routes,  408- 
418;  trolley  system,  433,  441,  442; 
water-powers,  406,  417,  424,  425 
water  supply,  434,  435 

Johnny  Parson  Club,  50 
Junior,  smoker,  335;  week,  243,  244, 
284,  303,  304 

Kappa  Alpha  house,  15 

Labor,  student,  147,  179,  203,  256- 
263 

Laboratory,  training  in  engineering, 
45;  work,  347 

Land  Grant  Bill,  Morrill,  164 

Land  Grant  scrip,  165-176 

Landscape  art,  36 

Law,  College  of,  63;  College,  instruc- 
tion in,  65 

Law,  James,  208,  209;  hall,  100 

Lecture  system,  343,  345 

Lectures,  357;  by  nonresidents,  198- 
201;  Jacob  Schiff,  60 

Libraries,  Agricultural,  77;  Architec- 
ture, 35;  Arts,  60;  Chemistry,  39; 
Law,  64;  Moak,65;  Sibley.  43;  Vet- 
erinary, Flower,  101;  White  Histor- 
ical, 31;  Dante  collection,  Icelandic 
collection,  Petrarch  collection,  31 

Library  tower,  climb  up  into,  27;  loca- 
tion, 24;  owl-like  appearance,  28; 
view  from,  28 

Library,  University,  comparative  size, 
31;  content,  30;  description  of,  30; 
history  of,  30;  inscription  in  en- 
trance, 30;  endowment,  195;  Cor- 
nell-Ithaca, 163 

Lick  Brook,  448 

Lincoln  Hall,  56 

Mail,  N.  Y.  Evening,  307-309,  324 
Managers,  277,  278 
Manners,  292 
Mark  Twain,  44 
Masque,  274 


McGraw-Fiske  Mansion,  189;  descrip- 
tion of,  42;  destruction  by  fire,  190, 
194 

McGraw-Fiske  Will  Contest,  194,  195 

McGraw  Hall,  content,  33 

McGraw,  Jennie,  189,  194;  John,  187, 
189 

Mechanical  Engineering,  College  of  ,42 

Mechanical  engineering,  instruction 
in,  203 

Medical  College,  instruction,  Ithaca 
division,  61 

Medicine,  College  of,  61 

Melchers,  I.  Gari,  painting  by,  61 

Military  training,  16,  221,  222,  327 

Military  training,  distinguished  in- 
stitution, 16;  inadequate  quarters, 
16 

Moakley,  John  F.,  316-319 

Morrill  Hall,  content,  32 

Morse  Hall,  content,  38;  destruction 
by  fire,  38,  189 

Motor  tours,  440,  441,  450 

Mud  rush,  underclass,  245-247.  248 

Mummy,  Egyptian,  34 

Museum,  of  classical  archaeology,  59; 
of  natural  history,  34;  educational, 
60;  entomology,  78;  veterinary,  100 

Music,  38.  355 

Music  festival,  70 

Musical  clubs,  274,  275 

Navy  Day,  285,  333-334 

Neck,  Cornell,  105 

Nonsectarian  control,  133,  160,  177, 

182 
Nuts,  Morris  collection,  80 

O'Connell,  Walter  C,  324 
"Old  Man,"  the,  311-316 
Opening  Day,  184,  186 
Optional  Course,  205 
Organizations,  263,  264 

Pageant,  248 

Parson  Club,  Johnny,  50 

Payne,  Col.  Oliver  H.,  212 

People's  College,  135,  166,  167,  169- 
171 

Pioneers,  403-405,  408 

Pipe  organ,  in  Bailey  Hall,  70 

Playground,  94,  246 

Plow  models,  77 

Politics,  class,  279,  280 

Poultry  husbandry,  building,  88;  in- 
struction in,  89 

Power  plant,  47 


Precincts,  in  college,  104 
schools,  242 
Prizes,  352 


Preparatory 


Professors,  cottages,  20 
Professors,  in  board  of  trustees,  218 
Crane,  T.  F.,  205,  206,  219;  James 


Index 


457 


Law.  20S.209:  Liberty  Hyde  Bailey, 
223;   nonresident.   195-199 

Psi  Ipsilon,  lodge,  15 

Publications,  undergraduate,  269-273 

Rallies,  athletic,  282 

Rand  Hall,  44 

Red  Key,  279 

Regatta,  on  Cayuga,  251.  252.  306, 
333-334;  at  Pouglikeepsie  314 

Religions  services,  182-184;  attend- 
ance at,  23;  nature  of,  23 

Research,  endowment  of,  346 

Residence,  President's,  66 

Residential  Halls,  227;  description  of, 
40;  gift  of,  41;  model  of,  33;  number 
of  students  occupying,  288 

Risley  Hall,  gift  of,  48;  description  of 
48 

Roberts  Hall.  75 

Rockefeller  Hall,  66;  research  labora- 
tories, 69 

Rooming  houses,  227-230 

Rules,  freshman,  232,  307,  309;  uni- 
versity, 233 

Rural  Engineering,  building,  85 

Rural  school  house,  71 

Rush,  Freshman  Banquet  245-248 

Rushing,  296.  297,  329 

Ruskin,  337,338,341 

Sabbatical  year,  215 

Sage  Chapel,  interments  in,  21;  de- 
scription of  interior,  22 

Sage  College,  19;  "lady"  warden,  181 

Sage,  Henry  W.,  benefactor,  188,  195 

Saturday  Evening  Post,  309 

Savage  Club,  274 

Scenerv,  439,  450 

Schoellkopf  Memorial.  95 

Schoellkoof  Stadium,  9  >;  enlarged,  96 

Scholarship,  291,  302,  325,  337,  344, 
351-353 

Scholarship  Societies,  266 

Scburman,  J.  G.,  inaugural  address, 
209:  plan  for  faculty  participation 
in  university  administration,  217, 
218;  resignation,  219,  223;  Minister 
to  China.  223 

Season  tickets,  330 

Seismograph,  34 

Self-help.  256-263 

Semi-Centennial  Endowment  Fund, 
225,301.346 

Senate,  university,  215,  217 

Senior  Singing,  254-255 

"Shingles. "  2X1 

"Short  Horns,"  244 

Sil.lev  College,  location,  43 

Sibley.  Hiram.  128.  204 

Sigma  Delta  Chi,  banquet,  267 

Sigma  Phi  house,  15 

Ski  running,  51 


Smith,  Acting  President  Albert  W  , 
2.  224 

Smith,  Goldwin,  hardships  endured 
by,  196;  campus  memorial.  61 ;  non- 
resident professor,  195;  personality, 
196;  Walk,  442;  will,  58,  207 

Smoker,  Junior,  335 

Societies,  honorary,  266.  278,  279 

Songs,  Big  Red  Team,  320;  Evening 
Song,  255;  Give  my  Regards  to 
Davy,  236;  parody,  237 

Spirit,  Cornell   241,308.309,334 

Spring  Day,  248-251.  285,  330 

Stadium,  Schoellkopf,  95;  enlarged, 
96 

Stimson  Hall,  62 

Stock  judging  pavilion,  92 

"Storm  Country."  399-401 

Straight,  Willard,  20,  21,  95 

Student  Council,  278-281 

Students,  ability  of,  235.  242;  activi- 
ties, 256-286;  and  Ithaca,  239;  and 
war.  301;  canvassers,  13;  entertain- 
ment of,  275;  fellowship,  36  237, 
238.  290,  299,  304;  foreign,  at 
Cornell.  226;  graduate,  215;  life, 
226-255;  managers,  277,  278;  num- 
ber in  fraternities.  287;  number  in 
residential  halls,  288;  out  of  town 
trips  of,  275,  331,  332;  working, 
256-263 

Study,  201,  348-351 

Sullivan's,  General,  army,  402,  443 

Summer  Session,  355,  356,  444 

Sun,  Cornell  Daily,  154,  269-271 

Suspension  foot  bridge,  47 

Swimming  pool,  47,  444 

Tarr  Memorial.  33 

Telegraph,  118-130 

Telegraph  instrument,  original,  43 

Tennis  courts,  faculty,  69;  student,  94 

Toboggan  slide,  50 

Totem  pole,  17 

Track,  316-319 

Training  table,  276 

Training,  university,  378 

Treman.  R.  H.,  447 

Triphammer  Falls,  49 

Trout  fishing,  448 

Tunnel.  444;  Ezra  Cornell's,  114 

Typhoid  fever  epidemic,  219 

Underclass  Mud  Rush,  248 
Union.  Cornell,  20,  21,  237 
University  Club,  19 

Vacations,  257 

Veterinary  science,  college  of,  98 

Views,  332;  from  hilltops,  449;  from 

McGraw     Hall,    33;    from     Morse 

Hall.  39 
Village  of,  Cayuga  Heights.  434,  449: 

Forest  Home,  442.  449 


458 


Concerning  Cornell 


Visiting  Classes,  39 
Vocational  training,  337:341,  358-378 
Vogue  of  mechanical  engineering,  363; 
of  agriculture,  366 

War  record,  16 
Water  supply,  purity  of,  220 
Watkins  Glen,  447,  448,  450 
Weather  Bureau,  kiosk,  18;  quarters, 

79 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.,  128 
White,  Andrew  D.,  70;  and  Ezra  Cor- 
nell,  131,  142,  152,  162,  163;  Auto- 
biography, 154,  180,  311,  380; 
birth  and  parentage,  156;  birth- 
place, 450;  childhood,  156;  death, 
156;   early  diplomatic  career,  160; 


education,  156-159;  geography  of 
life,  164;  honorary  degree,  355;  ill- 
ness, 184;  impress  of  training  on 
Cornell  University,  159,  176;  pres- 
ident, Cornell  University,  176;  on 
geography,  380-382;  political  in- 
terests, 161;  professor  of  history 
at  Michigan  University,  161;  resi- 
dence, 66;  state  senator,  161,  162; 
statue,  33;   travels,  160 

White  Gateway,  10 

White  Hall,  content,  34 

"Widow,"  Cornell,  271 

Wrestling,  324 

Yale,  system,  158 
Yell,  Cornell,  240 


